University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


??<7 


CHRONICLE,    TUESDAY,    MAY    24,    1892. 


The  recent  action  taken  by  Congress, 
looking  to  a  revival  of  the  gold  mining 
industry  in  this  State,  lias  aroused  public 
interest  in  the  subject  of  the  supply  of 
the  precious  metals,  and  makes  this  an 
opportune  time  for  summarizing  the  facts 
in  regard  thereto,  particularly  with  refer- 
ence to  the  great  mineral  region  of  the 
West.  The  wonderful  discoveries  of  gold 
aud  silver  made  in  this  region  during  the 
last  half  century  have  surpassed  any- 
thing recorded  theretofore  in  the  world's 
history.  That  these  discoveries  revolu- 
tionized financial  methods  need  not  be 
more  than  pointed  out.  That  they  added 
more  to  the  world's  wealth  than  any  other 
fifty  years  since  the  dawn  of  creation  will 
not  be  denied.  That  the  deposits,  instead 
of  approaching  exhaustion,  have,  in  fact, 
only  been  exploited  to  an  inconsiderable 
degree,  is  firmly  believed  by  every  miner 
who  has  made  the  subject  a  study. 
The  surface  hag  been  skimmed  over, 


a  small  way.  Along  the  seashore  in 
Huruboldt  and  Del  Norte  counties,  for- 
merly the  chiet  sites  of  this  cl  iss  of  min- 
ing, the  residents  of  that  section  of  the 
St;ite  gather  from  these  sands  by  hand 
sluicing  a  little  gold  every  year.  Their 
earnings  are  small  and  their  labor  inter- 
mittent, being  prosecuted  only  when  they 
h  ive  water  for  the  washing,  which  in 
most  localities  is  the  case  during  only  a 
sm  ill  portion  of  the  year. 

Besides  these  "gold  bluffs"  and 
"beaches"  we  have  in  California  a  variety 
of  other  auriferous  deposits,  some  of 
which,  like  the  gold  bluffs,  are  peculiar  to 
the  State;  nor  do  more  than  a  few  of  the 
others  rnoet  elsewhere  with  such  large 
development  as  fiere.  The  principal  of 
these  deposits,  designating  them  by  the 
local  names,  consist  of  the  following,  viz. : 

The  dry  diggings,  so  called,  are  simply 
such  surface  placers  as,  being  without  a 
sufficient  nitur.l  supply  of  water  _  lor 
washing,  cannot  be  supplied  by  artificial 
means.  There  are  many  localities  of  this 
character  in  California,  in  cases  of  this 
kind,  it  the  auriferous  earth  is  not  rich 
enough  to  bear  transportation  to  water, 
the  goi'l  is  separated  from  it  by  "dry 
washing,"  a  process  formerly  conducted 
by  means  of  the  Mexican  batei,  still  em- 
ployed in  some  places.  By  the  Sp  mish- 
s pei kin g  races  ttie  batea  continues  to  be 
exclusively  used  in  the  dry  diggings,  and 
these  people  are  very  skillful  in  handling 
it.  Latterly  dry-washing  machines  of 
various  Kinds  have  been  invented,  some 
of  which  are  efficient,  as  mucli  so,  in  fact, 


t    „ 

arce  of  supply  will  in  time  have  to  be  h 
systematically  exploited  in  order  to  keep  •' 
pace  therewith. 

It  is  certain  that  the  gold  production  of 
the  world  ia  steadily  decreasing,  while 
there  is  a  constantly  increasing  demand 
for  purposes  of  ornamentation.  Not  mo/e 
than  $100,000,000  worth  is  now  mined  an- 
nually, and  that  is  not  enough  to  meet 


sources  which  will  in  time  yield  as   greal 
an  amount  as  has  yet  been   produced,  if,' 
indeed,  they  do  not  largely  surpass  it. 

From  the  last  report  ot  the  Director  of 
the  Mint,  covering  the  year  1891,  the  fol- 
lowing facts  are  taken:  "The  product 
of  gold  from  the  mines  of  the  United 
States  aggregated  1,604,840  fine  ounces, 
of  the  value  of  $53,175,000.  This  is 
an  increase  oi  $330,OOU  over  the  product 
of  the  previous  calendar  year.  The  in- 


the  demand,  as  shown   by   the  constantly 

increasing  value  of  the  metal,  as  evidenced  olc  creased  product  is  due  largely  to  improved 
by  its  increased  purchasing  power.     The  ^   j  processed    of  treatment  and    to    the    in- 
creased amount   of  gold   extracted  from 
fol  iead  and  copper  ores. 
of      The    product    of   silver    from    our  own 
-P  mines    was    58,330,000  fine  ounces,    of  the 


available  mines  of  the  world  are  being 
rapidly  exhausted,  while  the  unexplored 
portion  of  the  world's  surface  grows  less 
in  extent  each  year  and  the  possibility 
of  finding  new  mines  becomes  less  prom- 


commercial  value  of  $57,630,040  or  of  the 
ising,«  In  ancient  times  gold  was  obtained  D  t  coinage  value  in  silver  dollars  ot  $75,416,- 
abundantly  from  the  rivers  of  Asia.  The  "  665.  This  is  an  increase  of  3,830,000 
Bands  of  Pactolus,  the  yellow  metal  of  ounces  over  the  previous  year.  The  in 
Ophir,  the  fable  of  King  Midas,  all  illus-  be  creased  silver  product  was  due  principally 
trate  the  Eastern  origin  of  gold.  Alexan-  T  -  to  new  finds  in  Colorado  and  Idaho,  and 
der  tb<5  Great  brought  nearly  $500,000,000  ^  to  the  cheapening  of  the  process  of  smelt- 
of  gold  from  Persia.  Gold  also  came  froni  vei  -ing  lead  and  copper  ores  hearing  silver. 
Arabia  and  from  the  middle  of  Africa  by  rJoi  The  Director  of  the  Mint  has  made 

way  of  the  Nile.     But  all  of  these  sources          ' »"•  n^m—ma 

of  supply  were  long  since  exhausted.  Bra- 

zil,  which  a  century  ago  was  a  rich  gold  pro-          ,  state,    a.  to  the  sources  of   Deduction. 

ien|  He  estimates  that  of  the  total  product  for 

Irid!  th° Ia8t  calendar  y°ar  28' 497-  °°0  fin«  ounces 
were  produced   from  *  quartz  and  milling 

y  it  ores,  23,707,000  from  lead  ores  nnd  6,126  000 
produced  $500, 000,000  worth  of  the  precious  from    copper   ores.     Total  ailver  output 

metal,  but  little  is  now   obtained   there.  CI1L  58,330,000  fine  ounces. 

Australia  has  yielded  $1,300,000,000  worth  ds        Th«  tn^i  '  *« 

i  total  product  of  Government  and 
of  gold,    but  the  production   has  greatly 

decreased.     Not  less  than    seven    billion 


8pecial   effort 
time    the 


to   di8tribnte  for  the 
producfc  Qf  * 


ducing  country, 
famous  Gold  Coast  of  Africa  has  lost  its 
productiveness.  Since  the  commence- 
ment of  the  sixteenth  centurv  Africa  has 


dollars'  worth  of  gold  has  been  dug  in  the  p\\ 
world  since  the  discovery  of  America,  but,  j 
nevertheless,   the   world's    supply  is  be-  j 
coming  so  scarce  that  the  yellow  metal 
will  undoubtedly  soon  be  hoarded  to  such 
an  extent  that  before   the   expiration   of 
many   centuries  it   will    have   attained   a 


private  refineries  in  the  United 
eluding  foreign  material 


to- 


fined,  was:  Gold,    2,169,863    fine    ounces- 
silver,  69,336,415  fine  ounces. 

The  total  value  of  the  gold  deposited  at 
the  mints  during  the  year  was  $70,915,632, 
of  which  $24,853,180  was  foreign  coin  and 
bullion.  The  deposits  and  purchases  of 

silver     aggregated      73,088,626     standard 
Talue  several  times  greater  than  at  present,  -j  ounceij)  of  the  c  ^^ 

The  importance  ot  exploitmg   al   the  ^  The  amount  Qf  Bilyer  »    >     «'^ 

•  TT»4laHlA    «/Mirr>o«    /-if    oilnnlTT      in      riatt-fVltmia          11    !    ,-. 

government  during  the  year  was  54,393,- 
912  fine  ounces,   costing  $53,796,833, 
—  average  cost  of  the  silver  purchased 


available  sources  of  supply  in  California 
and  elsewhere  on  the  Pacific  coast  is  em- 
phasized  by  these  undisputed  tacts.  The 
belief  is  widespread  that  our  gold  mines 
have  been  exhausted,  and  little  is  to  be 
expected  from  them  in  the  future.  This 
those  who  have  examined  the  matter 
know  to  be  an  erroneous  conclusion. 
They  know  that  there  are  undeveloped 


dur- 


ing the   year  was  $0.989  per    fine    ounce. 
The  average  cost  of  the  total  amount  pur- 
chased under  the  act  of  July  14th,    1890, 
""  has  been  $1.02  per  fine  ounce." 
The  price  of  silver    at  the 


commence- 


ment  oi  the  calendar  year  1891  was  $1.058 
per  fine  ounce,  and  at  the  close,  December 
31st,  was  $0.955  per  fine  ounce.  The  aver- 
age, price  for  the  calendar  year  was  $0.99 
per  fine  ounce. 

At  tho  date  of  the  pasn&ge  of  the  act  of 
July  14,  1890,  the  price  of  silver  was 
$1  07J4  per  fine  ounce;  at  the  date  the 
law  went  into  effect  it  had  advanced  to 
$1  13.  The  highest  point  touched  was  on 
August  19,  1890—$!  21  per  fine  ounce. 

j  The  lowest  point  reached   was  on  March 

|  28,  1892—  $0.85J4  per  fine  ounce. 

According  to  the  reports  of   the  trana- 

!  portation  companies  tho   bullion   product 

!  of  the  States  and  TerrLories  west  of  th*e( 
Missouri  river  ior  1891  was  as  follows: 


in  T,n«  past.  i 

All  this  and  more,  too,  will  be  given 
in  as  plain  and  straightforward  a  man- 
ner as  possible,  for  the  purpose  of 
educating  the  pe  ople  to  a  correct  knowl- 
edge of  the  great  wealth  that  may  be 
theirs  for  the  taking. 


CALIFOENIA. 


HER  VAST   DEPOSITS    OF  THB  PRE- 
CIOUS METALS. 


Alaska....  fj 
Arizona. ... 
California. 
Colorado.. . 
Dakota.... 


850,000 
5,570,157 

28,20.^,0:57 
3,422.871 


Idaho 11,595,000 


Montana.  .$28,011,000 


Nevada. ... 
New  Mex.. 
Oregon.... 

Utah 

Wash'gton 


8,745,611 
4,237,740 
l.OW 
13,408,493 


Where  Gold  Was  First  Dlscorered— 
Different  Methods  of  Mining— Valu- 
able Stlrer  Mines  —  Copper,  Coal, 
Quicksilver,  Etc.  —  A.sphaltum  and 
Petroleum  —  The  Cajaloo  or  San 
Jaclnto  Tin  Alines. 


In  the  variety  and  extent  of  her  mineral 
wealth  California  has  scarcely  a  rival  and 
certainly  no  superior.  The  popular  coti- 
caption  in  regard  to  this  matter  is  that 


These  figures,  however,  do  not  repre- 
sent the  entire  production  to  a  large  ex- 
tent. Much  bullion,  is  carried  otherwise 

than  by  the  express  companies,  while  vast  j-  the  principal" If  "not    the  sole  resource" of 
quantities  of  ore  are  shipped  for  treatment  |  this  character  possessed   by  this   State  is 
to  outside  points,   the  product    of  which     the  deposits  of  gold,  which  the   majority 
does  not  nppear  in   such  reports   as  that 
quoted.     As  will  appear  further  on,    these 
figures    require  considerable    revision   in 
order  to  arrive   at  the    actual   production 
of  the  various  States  and  Territories. 

In  the  succeeding  columns  the  various 
sources  of  production  will  be  pointed  out, 
the  more  notable  districts  and  mines  will 
be  described  in  detail  and  an  effort  will  be 
made  toward  removing  the  widespread 
misapprehension  that  exists  upon  this 
subject,  that  the  mines  of  the  Pacific 
coast  are  "played  out,"  and  that  further  j 
effort  in  this  direction  is  useless. 

It  will  be  shown  that  from  Alaska  to 
the  Mexican  line  and  trom  the  Pacific  to 
the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Rocky  mount- 
ains are  mineral  belts  of  vast  extent 
which  have  as  yet  scarcely  more  than 
begun  to  give  up  their  wealth.  It  will  be 
shown  that  besides  the  vast  deposits  of 
gold  and  silver  bearing  rock,  there  is  a 


of  people  outside  its  boundaries  undoubt- 
edly believe  are  nearly  or  quite  exhausted. 
In  both  ideas  they  are  mistaken.  The 
gold  mines  of  California  will  yet  yield,  it 
is  the  opinion  of  those  who  have  made  the 
subject  a  study,  fully  as  much  if  not 
many  times  more  than  the  amount  of 
treasure  that  has  already  been  delved 
from  them.  But  in  addition  this  State 
possesses  latent  mineral  wealth  of  the 
most  surpassing  and  extensive  variety. 
To  prove  this  it  is  only  necessary  to  men- 
tion the  fact  that  the  range  of  deposits 
includes  silver,  quicksilver,  copper,  tin, 
iron,  lead,  coal,  antimony,  asbestos,  sul- 
phur, borax,  soda,  petroleum,  asphaltuin, 
and  a  host  of  other  substances  of  more  or 
less  value,  the  exploitation  of  which  is 
certain  to  add  millions  to  the  wealth 
which  they  have  already  created. 

From  whatever  standpoint  the  mineral 
wealth  of  California  be  considered,  the 
subject  is  one  of  interest  and  always  will 
remain  so.  True,  the  romance  of  the  early 
gold-mining  days  is  past,  never  to  return, 
and  the  search  for  the  golden  treasure  has 


store  of  other  minerals  of  a  diversity  not  |  become  a  prosaic  industry  similar  toother 
found  in  any  other  part  of  the  world.  It  !|  productive  enterprises.  Nevertheless 
will  be  shown  that  there  are  opportnni-  !i  there  is  always  an  interest  about  the  con- 
ties  for  investment  and  for  the  exercise  of  |  test  for  tne  contents  of  nature's  treasure 
energy  and  ability  that  equal,  even  excel,  H  bo1  tha*  makes  fche  Deject  one  of  per- 
those  that  have  made  fabulous  fortunes  j|  enmal  freshne8S- 


GOLD     MINES. 


er«    the    Yellow     Metal     Was     First 
DIscoTered—  Fears  of  a  Plethora. 

The  history  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
1848  in  California  has  been  so  frequently 
told  and  the  facts  are  so  well  established 
that  there  is  nothing  of  interest  to  be 
added  to  the  well  known  and  familiar 
account  of  the  Coloma  Mill,  the  finding  of 
the  particles  of  gold  in  the  tail-race,  and 
the  subsequent  operations  of  General  Sut- 
ter,  Marshall  and  the  others  who  were 
present  or  were  at  once  apprised  of  the 
discovery.  The  story  has  been  told  a 
thousand  times  and  is  familiar  the  world 
over. 

It  is  not  so  well  known,  however,  that, 
while  Marshall's  discovery  was  unques- 
tionably the  one  that  produced  the  most 
wonderful  migration  and  subsequent  de- 
velopment of  an  unknown  region  that  the 
world  has  ever  seen,  he  is  by  no  means 
entitled  to  the  honor  of  having  been  the 
first  person  to  find  the  precious  metal  in 
California. 

Nothing  can  be  more  assured  than  the 
fact  that  from  almost  the  first  exploration 
of  the  Pacific  coast  by  the  hardy  naviga- 
tors of  the  sixteenth  century,  the  idea  in 
some  way  gained  a  foothold  that  gold 
existed  here  in  abundance.  Sir  Francis 
Drake,  who  visited  this  region  in  1579, 
asserts  it,  and  so  do  other  -writers  who 
have  other  sources  of  information.  The 
Spanish  conquerors  of  Mexico  were  per- 
suaded of  the  existence  of  rich  gold  do- 
posits  in  a  country  far  to  the  northwest, 
corresponding  exactly  with  the  location  of 
our  State,  but  were  unable  to  verify  their 
belief,  though  sending  out  frequent  ex- 
peditions to  do  so. 

That  the  founders  of  the  missions  knew 
of  the  existence  of  gold  here  there  is  good 
ground  for  believing,  as  well  as  for  believ- 
ing that  they  profited  by  that  knowledge. 
In  1775  gold  was  discovered  near  the 
Colorado  river  in  the  vicinity  of  Yuma  by 
Mexicans,  and  half  a  century  later  de- 
posits were  found  near  San  Ysidro,  in  San 
Diego  county.  In  1833  placers  which  are 
still  being  successfully  worked  were  found 
in  the  mountains  to  the  northwest  of  Los 
Angeles,  and  from  them  were  taken  con- 
siderable quantities  of  the  precious  metaL 
Some  of  the  prod  uct  of  these  mines  found 
its  way  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard  long 
before  Marshall  was  ever  heard  of, 
and  the  knowledge  of  the  existence 
of  gold  on  the  Pacific  coast  was  quite  gen- 
eral even  then.  This  fact  was  kno  wn  to 
the  Mexican  authorities  as  early  as  1844, 
as  shown  by  documents  found  in  the 
archives  of  that  Government.  In  one 


communication,  dated  September  1,  184 
it  was  said    that  fully  2000  ounces  of  goUl 
dust  taken    from  the  placers  of  the  Santa1 
Clara  were  in  circulation  at    one  time  in 
Los  Angeles,  and  in  the  same  letter  the 
existence  of  silver  mines  is  also  mentioned, 
though  their  exact  location  is  not  given. 

In  March,  1846,  nearly  two  years  before 
the  discovery  at  Coloma,  Thomas  Larkin, 
Consul  at  Monterey,  wrote  to  his  superiors 
that  he  had  no  doubt  that  mines  of  gold, 
quicksilver,  copper,  etc.,  would  be  found 
all  over  California.  Five  years  before 
that  3.  D.  Dana,  who  accompanied  the 
Wilkea  expedition  and  made  an  overland 
trip  from  Oregon  to.  San  Francisco,  re- 
ported that  he  found  indications  of  the 
existence  of  gold  in  Southern  Oregon  and 
in  the  Sacramento  valley.  Many  other 
facts  might  be  cited,  all  tending  to  estab- 
lish the  certainty  that  the  discovery  of 
Marshall  was  no  discovery  at  all  in  the 
real  sense  of  the  word,  though  by  a  fortui- 
tous combin  ation  of  ciicumstances  bis 
lucKy  (or  ra  ther  unlucky  for  himself)  find 
set  the  world  in  a  blaze  of  excitement. 

Not  only  were  the  people  of  every  civil- 
ized land  carried  away  by  the  tales  of 
great  fortunes  to  be  made  in  a  day,  but 
the  financial  and  monetary  world  was  ap- 
palled and  shaken  to  the  base  by  Califor- 
nia's extraordinary  output  of  the  precious 
metal.  Europe  bacame  alarmed.  A  ple- 
thora of  the  noble  metal  was  feared,  and 
for  a  time  the  idea  was  strongly  enter- 
tained of  demonetizing  gold. 

PrimitiTe  Mining:  Methods. 
The  yield  of  gold  was  some  chine  ex- 
traordinary. At  first  the  general  gains  of 
the  miners,  though  great,  were  small 
compared  to  what  shortly  afterward  were 
collected.  By  comparing  different  ac- 
counts and  endeavoring  to  form  from 
them  something  like  a  fair  average,  it  is 
found  that  from  $10  to  $15  worth  of  gold 
dust  was  at  first  about  the  usual  proceeds 
of  an  ordinary  day's  work.  But  while 
that  might  have  been  the  average,  well 
authenticated  accounts  describe  many 
persons  as  averaging  from  $100  to  $200  a 
day  for  a  long'  period,  and  numerous  oth- 
ers are  said  to  have  earned  as  high  as  $500 
to  $800  a  day.  If,  indeed,  a  man  with  a 
pick  and  pan  did  not  make  a  fortnne  rap- 
idly he  moved  off  to  some  place  which  he 
supposed  might  be  richer.  When,  the 
miners  knew  a  little  better  about  the  busi- 
ness and  the  mode  of  turning  their  labor 
to  account  the  returns  were  correspond- 
ing increased.  At  what  were  called  the 
"dry  diggings,"  particularly,  the  yield  of 
gold  was  simply  enormous.  One  nugget  of 
pure  metal  was  found  of  thirteen  pounds 


first  made  usa  of  VMS  a   butcher's    knife 
Af  erward    the     pick    and    shovel     were 
used.     The  auriferous    earth,  dug   out  of 
ravines  and    holes    in    the    sides    of   the 
mountains  was  packed  ou  horses  for  one, 
two  or  three  miles  to  the  nearest  water  to 
be  washed.     An     average    price    of   this 
washing  dirt  was  $400  a  cartload.     In  one 


were  built  and  magnificent  roads  laid. 
By  the  use  of  ingenious  contrivances 
water  was  given  a  pressure  sometimes  as 
hiszh  as  500  i'eat  and  a  velocity  of  160  feet 
per  second.  With  this,  equal  to  the  force 
of  a  small  Niagara,  the  base  of  the  hills 
was  washed  away  and  the  summit  top- 
pled over  like  a  building  undermined. 
Great  rocks  of  hundreds  of  pounds  weight 


instance  live  loads  sold  for  $752,  which,  ?<  were  tossed  about  like  straws  in  the  cur- 
after  washing,  yielded  $16,000.  -Cases  oc-  ^  rent.  Whole  mountains  were  moved  in 
curred'  where  men  carried  tbe  earth  in  \  this  way  and  the  very  topography  oi  the 


sacks  on  their  backs  to  the  watering 
places  and  collected  $800  as  the  proceeds 
oi  their  labor.  Individuals  made  their 
$5000,  $10,000  and  $15,000  in  the  space  of 
only  a  tew  weeks.  One  man  dug  out 
$12,000  in  about  six  days.  Tnree  others 
obtained  $8000  in  a  single  day.  But 
these,  of  course,  were  extreme  cases. 
Still,  it  is  undoubtedly  true  ta  vt  a  lar^e 
proportion  or  the  miners  earned  such 
sums  as  they  hid  'never  seen  in  their 
lives,  and  which  six  months  before  would 
have  appeared  like  the  wildest  fable. 

The  washing  was  effected  by  patting 
the  earth  in  a  pan  or  bowl,  mixing  w  tter 
with  it  and  violently  shaking  the  contents. 
A  peculiar  shake  of  the  wrist,  best  under- 
stood and  learned  by  practice,  threw  the 
and  to  all  of  us,  of  the 


country  changed. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  here  that  while 
we  take  the  credit  to  ourselves  of  having  i 
invented   hydraulic  sluicing,  our  mighty  i 
nozzle  work  was  but  an   exaggeration  of  j 
the  process  used  by  the  Romans  in  Spain. 
Thus  Pliny  writes:  "Another  labor,  too, 
quite  equal  to  this,  and  one  which  entails 
even  greater  expense;  is   that  of  bringing 
rivers  from   the  more  elevated  mountain 
heights,    a  distance  in   many  instances  of 
100  miles,    perhaps,  for    the    purpose    of 
washing   these  debris.     Then,  too,  valleys 
and  crevasses  have  been  united  by  the  aid 
of  aqueducts,  and  in  another  place  impass- 
able rocks   have  to    be  hewn   away  and 
forced   to  make  room  for  hollow  troughs 


of  wood.    The  earth  carried  onward  in  the 
do  stream  arrives  at  the  sea  at  last,  and  thus 

T  .,  T^    .,  j.  i  •   ,      ,1      i  is  the   shattered  mountain  washed  away, 

Library  Building,  which,  thoj  causeg  which  have  greatly  tended  to  ex- 

means  the   least,  among   the  I  tend   the  shores   of    Spain    by  these  en- 

croachments upon  the  deep." 
thought  and    generous  impul       The  hisiory  of  hydraulic  mining  in  Cal- 

is  at  this  moment  and  in  tH  **  tt  ™ 


manifestation    of  that   sentiir  rich  placers  lasted  there  was  little  induce- 

ment to  seek  for  their  origin;  but  as  they  j 


to  express  our  thanks,  and  f< 


incoming  ages, 


we  foreshadc 


tions  of  students  of  the  fu 
advantages,  the  seeds  of  whi 
us. 

I  said  a  moment  ago  th; 
all  the  citizens  of  the  State 
ing  so,  I  spoke  advisedly, 
you  all  feel,  that  this  is  the 
founded  by  the  people,  for 

For  a  few  of  the  moments 
your  attention,   I    shall   ask 


declined  the  more  enterprising  of  the 
miners  commenced  tracing  these  alluvial 
deposits  to  their  sources.  The  researches 
thus  undertaken  led  to  some  remarkable 
and  astonishing  discoveries.  In  many  in- 
stances the  gravel,  being  worked  in  open 
river  beds,  was  found  to  burrow  abruptly 
into  the  sides  of  high  mountains,  and  then 
it  was  re  dized  that  the  stream  which  had 
accumulated  the  t'-easure  belonged  to  a 
past  geological  period  and  that  its  bed 
had  been  filled  ages  ago  by  a  stream  of 
very  different  character—  a  solid  instead  of 
a  liquid  stream;  in  other  words,  a  lava 
flow.  Numerous  instances  have  occurred 
where  such  an  extinct  river  bed  has  re- 
ceived successive  lava  flows,  ,  one  super- 
imposed upon  another,  with  auriferous 
gravel  between,  showing  that  the  river  re- 
sumed, as  nearly  as  might  be,  its  original 
channel  after  each  invasion  of  molten 
rock. 
Tbe  yield  of  gold  from  these  ancient 


f  streams,  locally  known  as  "dead  rivers"— 
a  most  apt  expression — has  been  immense,  >- 
for  they  must  have  been  mighty  floods, 
draining  huge  areas,  and  during  their 
long  and  active  lives  they  were  ceaselessly 
Helping  to  accumulate  the  scattered  riches 
contained  in  the  surrounding  rocks,  these 
riches  being  liberated  by  the  action  of  Irost 
and  thaw  and  rain  and  snow  and  sun, 
whose  combined  effect  disintegrated  the 
quartz  veins  that  carried  the  gold.  Thus 
Nature,  working  in  her  own  slow  and  se- 
cret way,  collected  into  comparatively 
narrow  limits,  ready  for  the  use  of  man, 
tho  srold  which  had  been  disseminated 
through  millions  of  tons  of  rock,  probably 
in  auch  small  proportions  .as  not  to  repay 
the  coat  of  extraction  by  human  methods. 
More  than  that,  the  precious  metal  actu- 
ally underwent  a  certain  degree  of  refin- 
ing at  the  same  time,  the  accompanying 
base  metals  having  been  dissolved  out  and 
washed  away. 

Hydraulic     Mining:. 

Hydraulic  mining  added  largely  to  our 
annual  output  until  in  1876  litigation 
commenced  between  the  farmer  and  the 
miner.  A  bitter  fight  in  our  courts  en- 
sued, which  resulted  in  favor  of  the  agri- 
culturists. This  was  followed  by  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  commission  of  engineers 
to  investigate  the  subject  from  an  en- 
gineering standpoint  and  report. 

For  years  there  has  been  a  practical  in- 
terdiction of  hydraulic  mining  except  in  a 
few  remote  localities,  and  many  millions 
of  dollars  have  been  lost  to  the  people  of 
this  State.  Finally,  however,  owing  to  the 
discoveries  of  the  engineers  in  charge  of 
the  investigation,  it  has  become  apparent 
that  it  is  possible  to  bring  about  a  re- 
sumption of  the  working  of  these  valuable 
deposits,  and  from  present  appearances  it 
will  not  be  long  before  the  foothills  of  the 
Sierra  will  again  be  contributing  their 
golden  wealth  to  the  industries  of  the 
State. 

The  importance  of  hydraulic  mining 
may  be  seen  from  the  fact  that  it  is  esti- 
mated that  of  the  entire  gold  product  of  this 
State  at  least  nine-tenths  was  yielded  by 
the  auri.erous  gravels.  The  total  yield 
thus  obtained  would  be  represented  by  a 
cube  fourteen  feet  square.  These  auril'er- 
ous  gravels  occur  in  the  channels  of 
ancient  rivers,  and  there  are  400  miles  of 
these,  which  at  a  low  estimate  will  yield 
$2,000,000  to  $3,000,000  to  the  mile. 

According  to  the  reports  of  the  engineers 
detailed    by  the  Government   to   examine 
into  the  question  of  raining  debris,  there 
were  some  857,000,000  cubic  yards  of  mate- 
rial excavated  during  the    prevalence  of 
ulic  operations,  of  which  230,000,000 
remained  in   the   beds  of  the   thr.ee 
pal  rivers   affected — the  Ynba,  Bear 


and  American.  Aicer  a  caremi  examina- 
tion of  the  damage  done  by  this  debris 
the  engineers  reported  the  following  as 
the  injury  done  along  the  three  streams 
where  the  greatest  amount  of  loss  was 
caused: 


NAMK. 

Feather  river.  . 
Yuba  river  
Bear  river  

Destroyed, 
acres  

1 

if 

Amount... 

17.628 
11,845 

9,741 

$1,097,038, 
1,079,577 
694,970 

6,940 
3,500 
3,515 

$196.750 
144,500 
81,200 

Total  

39,214 

$2,871,585 

13,955 

$422,450 

It  is  conceded  and  was  demonstrated 
to  tne  board  of  engineers  that  certain 
lands  are  capable  of  being  improved  by 
the  addition  of  small  quantities  of 
slickens.  It  is  also  stated  that  some 
lands  are  benefited  by  the  rising  of  the 
adjacent  water,  which  makes  them  moist 
and  cultivable.  The  extent  of  these 
favorable  features  was  not  possible  of  de- 
termination. 

Acres. 

Area  destroyed  as  above.  39,214 

Area  injured  as  above 13,955 


Total  area. 


52,169! 


Value  of  land  destroyed $2,871,585 

Value  of  land  injured 422,450 


Total  loss $3,304,035 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  miners 
have  contributed  to  the  filling  of  the  min- 
ing rivers  ever  since  mining  commenced 
in  California,  and  that  the  people  whose 
lands  have  been  covered  by  debris  have  a 
right  to  complain,  and  had  they  when  the 
evil  first  commenced  taken  proper 
measures  the  money  value  of  their  injury 
could  have  been  compensated.^  It  was 
not  until  the  flood  of  1861-62  swept  down 
into  the  lower  stream  the  thirteen  or  four- 
teen years'  accumulation  in  the  mount- 
ains of  mining  debris  that  the  evil  be.ran 
to  be  very  injurious;  that  every  creek, 
gulch,  stream,  canyon  or  bar  was  up  to 
that  time  swarming  with  miners  is  well 
known.  Perhaps  no  better  evidence  of 
the  fact  can  be  shown  than  the  yield  of 
gold  during  the  intervals  of  time  between 
1*48  and  including  1861: 
From  1848  to  and  including 

1849  it  \vasonly $10,306,661 

From    1849    to    and    including 

1854  it  was 335,553,456 

From    1854    to    and    including 

1859  it  was 249,060,717 

From    1839    to    and    including 

1861  it  was  only 35,080,158 


Total  from  commencement  of 
1848  to  close  of  1861 $680,990,992 

The  largest  yields  were  in  1851,  $75,938,- 
232,  and  in  1852,  $61,294,700.  The  yield 
for  1866  was  only  $12, 579, 356,  being  the 


THE    MAN    WHO    DISCOVERED    GOLD. 


smallest    yield    ever    known.     The   total 
yield,  so  far  as  known,  has  been  $1,144,- 
364,521,  but  it.  is  believed  that  the   actual 
yield  has  been  in  excess  of  this  §um,  cer- 
.tainly  up  to  $1,200,000,000. 

Daring  the  first  thirteen  years,  or  up  to 
the  time  When  the  flood  of  1861-62  lilled 
the  mining  rivers,  more  than  half  of  the 
total  product  (or  $680,000,000)  was  ex- 
tracted,  while  daring  the  twenty- five  suc- 
ceeding years  some  $466,000,000  only  was 
extracted.  Hydraulic  mining  did  not 
commence  on  a  large  scale  until  about 
1867,  although  it  was  some  years  after  that 
date  before  it  assumed  the  proportions  of 
1880.  Prior  to  1867  it  was  carried  on  upon 
a  very  limited  scale. 

The  myriads  of  miners  at  work  on  the 
slope  of  the  Sierra  deposited  their  tailings 
—all  of  light  character— into  the  streams 
adjacent  to  where  they  worked,  for  water 
was  scarce  and  expensive,  and  as  every 
miner  so  disposed  of  his  tailings  as  not  to 
deposit  them  upon  the  claim  below  him, 
these  vast  quantities  accumulated  until 
the  flood  of  1861-62  swept  them  all  into 
the  rivers  and  the  evi's  now  complained  of 
them  became  of  serious  nature.  After  this 
time  the  miners  on  the  Yuba  contributed 
$80,000,  unasked,  to  aid  in  building  levees 
along  the  south  side  of  that  river  above 
Marysville;  so  that  all  the  evils  now  com- 
plained of  are  not  chargeable  to  the  hy- 
draulic miner*.  It  is,  however,  upon  thi- 
heads  of  the  present  miners  that  the 
doings  of  nearly  forty  years  now  fall,  to 
their  ruin  and  to  their  loss  to  an  extent  of 
over  $100,000,000. 


sand,  clay,  or  refuse  matter  resulting  or 
arising  from  mining  thereon ;  and  also 
from  allowing  others  to  use  the  water 
supply  of  said  several  mines  or  mining 
claims  or  any  part  thereof  for  the  purpose 
of  washing  into  said  rivera  and  streams 
any  earth,  rock,  bowlders,  clay,  sand  or 
solid  material  contained  in  any  placer  or 
gravel  ground  or  mine." 

As  a  result  of  this  inhibition  a  product 
of  $10,000,000  annually  was  cut  off,  a  large 
share  of  which  had  found  its  way  directly 
into  the  channels  of  trade.  At  the  same 
time  property  in  wtiich  had  been  invested 
fully  $100,000,000  was  made  useless,  and 
has  remained  BO  to  this  time. 

In  reply  to  the  question,  "Can  hydraulic 
mining  be  resumed  without  injury  to  the 
navigable  streams?"  the  Board  of  En- 
gineers reported: 

"It  is  not  apparent  to  the  board  that 
any  expression  of  opinion  or  recommenda- 
tion will  have  any  effect  in  rehabilitating 
the  industry  in  the  present  legal  status  of 
the  question.  Without  some  modification, 
then,  of  existing  conditions  hydraulic 
mining  must  cease.  It  cannot  be  carried 
on  without  violating  the  decrees  of  the 
courts. 

'•If,  however,  by  a  reversal  of  the  opin- 
ions of  the  courts  or  by  other  means  hy- 
draulic mining  be  permitted  in  whole  or 
in  part,  or  if  without  such  reversal  an  ex- 
pression of  opinion  is  required  as  to  the 
feasibility  of  impounding  mining  debris, 
the  board  will  state  that  the  investiga- 
tions and  examinations  made  indicate 
that  in  isolated  cases  it  is  possible  to  irn- 


The  famous  decision  of  Judge   Sawyer,  *  Pound  debris  without  injury;    also,  that 

locations  exist  in  the  canyons  of  the 
different  mining  streams  in  the  Sierra  dis- 
trict where  permanent  stone  dams,  pro- 


under  which  hydraulic  mining  was  sus- 
pended,  contained  the  following  clause, 
thecase  being  that  of  Woodruff  vs.  the 


North  Bioomfield  Mining  Company  et  al. :  ,  perly  constructed,  will  retain  largo  quan- 
tities of  material  of  the  character  formerly 
mined  out  and  which  caused  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  farming  lands  and  injured  the 
navigation  of  the  rivers. 
"These  dams,  however,  will  not  be  ef- 


"On  consideration  whereof  it  is  by  the 
court  ordered,  adjudged  and  decreed  as 
follows,  to  wit:  That  the  defendants 
herein  and  their  and  each  and  all  of  their 
servants,  agents  and  employes  are  per- 


petually enjoined  and  restrained  from  !  fective  in  impounding  all  the  material  de- 
discharging  or  dumping  into  the  Yuba  or  j  Hvered  into  the  canyons  from  the  mines. 
into  any  of  the  forks  or  branches  or  into  Being  in  the  streams  and  in  the  pathway 
any  stream  tributary  to  said  river  or  any  i  of  the  freshets,  portions  of  the  heavier 
of  its  forks,  ravines  or  branches,  and  es-  i  material  will  be  carried  over  the  crests  of 
pecially  into  Deer  creek,  Sucker  Flat  ra-  |  the  dams  to  eventually  find  lodgment  in 
vine.  Humbug  creek,  Scotchman's  creek,  i  the  river  below.  The  finer  sands  and 
any  of  the  tailings,  bowlders,  cobble-  i  clays  cannot  be  effectually  impoun  led  by 
stones,  gravel,  sand,  clay,  debris  or  refuse  i  such  barriers,  but.  will  be  carried  off  iii 

suspension.     With    the  improved  condi- 
tion which  it  is  desired  to  give  to  the  nav- 


matter  from  any  of  the  tracts   of    mineral 
land  or  mines  described  in  the  complaint; 


and  also  from  causing  or  suffering  to  flow 
into  said  rivers,  creeks  or  tributary 
streams  aforesaid  therefrom  any  of  the 
tailings,  bowlders,  cobble-stones,  gravel, 


igable  rivers,  it  is  probable  that  the 
greater  part  of  this  finer  material  can  be 
carried  off  .without  being  productive  of 
harm." 


A  detailed  statement  is  made  by  the 
chief  of  the  corps  of  engineers,  in  which  I 
the  location  of  the  impounding  dams  de- 
sirable to  be  constructed  is  pointed  out, 
together  with  their  cost  and  the  amount 
of  debris  capable  of  being  restrained 
thereby.  It  is  estimated  that  by  an  .aver- 
age annual  expenditure  of  $300,000  for 
eight  years  fully  $10,000, 000  each  year  may 
be  taken  from  the  mines.  At  a  moderate  ' 
calculation  there  remain  in  the  known 
auriferous  deposits  over  2, 100, 000, 000 cubic 
yards  of  gravel,  and  this  at  a  low  rate  \vill 
yield  over  $552,000,000.  These  facts,  which 
are  well  established,  show  the  vast  im- 
portance to  California. of  the  reopening  of 
these  mines. 

John  H.  Hammond,  a  prominent  min- 
ins  engineer  and  expert,  estimates  th;tt 
there  are  available  for  hydraulic  working 
deposits  that  contain  iullv  $800,000,000, 
while  there  are  in  the  ancient  lava-capped 
channels  fully  $500,000,000,  or  a  total  of 
$1,300,000,000. 

In  accordance  with  the  recommenda- 
tions of  the  board  of  engineers  a  bill  is 
now  before  Congress  providing  for  the 
commencement  of  operations  uoon  im- 
pounding claims  which  shall  enable  the 
mines  to  be  again  worked. 

Although    washing    by    the    hydraulic 
method  has  been  enjoined  in   the   central 
mining  counties,   formerly  the   field  of  its 
largest   operations,  it  is  still  carried  on  in 
the  northwestern  part  of  the  State,  chiefly 
in     Del    Norte,    Trinity,    Humboldt    and 
Siskiyou  counties.     In  that   region    there 
exists  no  objection  to  its  being  prosecuted, 
wuile  the  conditions   for   doing  so  are  ex- 
ceptionally good.     All  included,  there  are 
in  this   group  of   counties   not   less    than 
fifty  hydraulic  claims   being    operated    at 
the  present  time,  the  most  of  them,  how- 
ever, only  for  a  portion  of  the  year,  and  in 
a    small    way.      They    nearly    all    make 
i  liberal  returns   for  the  labor    employed 
and  the  amount  of  money   expended  in 
fitting  them  up;  the  latter  is  not  generally 
large,  as  lumber  is  cheap,    and   no  costly 
bedrock  tunnels  are  over   required,  while 
comparatively  short  ditches  suffice  to  in- 
troduce water  on  the  ground  to  be  washed. 
The  auriferous  gravel   banks   throughout 
this  region  are   generally   large,  the  ma- 
terial   being    at    the    same  time  of  good 
grade,  and  free  from  pipe  clay  and  other 
barren  matter.    'There  it  everywhere  fall 
enough  to   prevent  any    troublesome  ac- 
cumulation of  tailings  below  the  washing 
pits,  and    there    being    no  farming  lands 
along  the  outletting  streams  liable  to  be 
injured    by    the    debris    from  tha  mines, 
there  is  apparently  no    reason   why  hy- 


indefinite    perioa,    ana  with 
large  profits. 

It  was  in  thia  section  of  country  that 
the  style  of  hydraulic  mining  known  as 
•"  booming"  WHS  first  introduced,  and  has 
since  been  most  largely  used.  It  ii  prac- 
ticed only  alonsr  the  gnlches.  These  af- 
fording but  little  water,  it  became  neces- 
sary that  the  limited  supply  be  reser- 
voired  and  properly  distributed  in  order 
to  make  it  effective  in  this  method  of 
gravel  washing.  The  object  is  attained 
by  retaining  the  water  in  dams  and  then 
releasing  it  sud  lenly,  with  a  rush  or 
boom.  Near  the  bottom  of  the  dam  built 
for  this  purpose  is  leit  an  aperture  so 
large  that  when  opened  thewiiter  escapes 
rapidly.  Placed  on  the  top  of  the  struc- 
ture is  a  small  race,  through  which  tha 
water  flows  when  the  dam  is  tull,  and  ia 
discharged  into  a  larga  wooden  box  sus- 
pended from  the  end  of  the  sweep,  turn- 
ing  on  a  pivpt,  and  the  upper  end  of 
which  extends  to  and  over  the  top  of  the 
,dam.  Attached  to  this  end  of  the  sweep 
is  a  strip  of  heavy  canvai,  which,  drop- 
ping in  a  fold  over  the  aperture  below, 
keeps  it  tightly  closed  when  the  dam  is 
full. 

"When  this  stage  has  been  reached  the 
water  flowing  through  the  race  into  the 
wooden  box  mentioned  soon  fills  it,  cas- 
ing this  end  of  the  sweep  to  sink  and  the 
other  end  to  rise,  carrying  with  it  the 
strip  of  canvas  and  uncovering  the  large 
aperture  below,  allowing  the  water  to  rush 
out.  Meantime,  the  wooden  box  having 
emptied  itself  through  numerous  small 
holes  made  for  the  purpose,  this  end  of 
the  sweep,  relieved  of  its  weight,  rises 
and  the  other  end  drops.  The  canvas 
falls  over  the  outletting  aperture,  closing 
it  as  before.  Then  the  dam  fills  again  to 
the  brim  and  the  operation  as  above  is 
repeated.  This  plan  for  handling  water  ia 
wholly  automatic.  It  takes  care  of  itself 
and  goes  on  clay  and  night  without  any 
attention  on  the  part  of  the  miner,  doing 
its  work  as  long  as  the  water  lasts.  This 
is  one  of  those  ingenious  contrivances  for 
which  the  California  miners  have  ever 
been  noted.  Since  its  introduction  in  tha 
northwestern  part  of  the  State  it  has 
been  brought  into  use  in  many  other 
places,  some  of  which  have  presumed  to 
claim  its  paternity,  a  diatinclion  that  un- 
questionably belongs  to  this  State,  where 
this  device  was  originally  known  as  the 
"self-shooter."  While  to  us  belongs  tha 
credit  of  this  invention,  to  others  belongs 
the  credit  of  having  substituted  for  the 
above  name  the  more  appropriate  one  &y 


Drift 

During  the  period  of  cessation  of  hy- 
draulic   mining   attention  was  largely  di- 


rected to  other  methods, 
mining,  quartz  mining 
paining.  Drift 


These   are  drift 
and    river-bed 
mining,  which  seems  to 


have  gained  a  remarkable  impetus  since 
the  suspension  of  hydraulic  mining,  is 
conducted  as  follows:  The  prospector 
having  come  to  the  conclusion  that  there 
is  a  bed  or  deposit  of  gold-bearing  dirt, 
quartz  or  gravel  within  the  recesses  of 
a  certain  hill  then  seeks  the  easiest  way 
, to  get  at  it.  If  a  vertical  shaft  from  the 
top  of  the  mountain  be  considered  tha 
shortest  direct  road  to  the  treasure  then 
such  a  shaft  is  sunk.  If  the  pay  dirt  ia 
thought  to  be  best  reached  by  a  horizontal 
tunnel  through  the  side  of  the  mountain 
tnen  such  a  tunnel  or  drift  is  run,  with 
such  ramifications  or  drifts  as  occasion, 
may  call'for.  The  ore  taken  out  is  treated 
according  to  its  character.  It  is  a  com- 
;  paratively  cheap  form  of  mining, 
and  eo  far  it  has  been  found 


Work  long  suspended  on  partially  com- 
L  pL  ted  structures  has  been  resumed,  while 
operations  on  the  productive  mines  are 
being  pushed  with  energy.  Some  of  these 
drift  mines  already  employ  from  100  to 200 
men,  their  uross  yearly  output  varying 
irom  $150,000  to  $30i),OUO.  Most  .of  the 
claims,  however, '  are  operated  with  a 
much  smaller  working  force,  the  number 
of  men  employed  ranging  from  tea  to 
fifty,  the  production  being  correspond- 
ingly small.  The  deposits  sought  by  drift- 
ing rest  for  the  most  part  in  the  "deadt 
river"  channels  before  referred  to. 

The  Forest  Hill  divide  in  Placer  county, 
the  Magalia  district  in  Butte  county  and 
the  vicinity  of  Forest  City  in  Sierra 
county  continue  the  most  active  and 
largely  productive  drift  localities.  A 
good  deal  is  also  being  done  in  this  line 
of  mining  along  the  Liberty  Hill  ridge, 
about  Nevada  Cityv  near  Gibsonville  and 
at  otner  points  in  Western  Sierra.  Some* 
very  heavy  operations  of  this  kind  have 
recently  been  set  on  foot  in  the  latter  lo- 
cality. 
Since  the  suppression  of  hydraulic 


just  as  remunerative  to  honeycomb  Washing  in  the  central  mining  counties  of 
a  mountain  as  to  wash  .  it  away.  tho  State  a  number  of  claims  before 
Drift  mining,  now  comparatively  in  its  -openfted  by  that  process  have  been 
infancy,  is  bound  to  assume  considerable  |  worked  by  drifting,  and  in  most  cases 
prominence. 


It  is  of  most  importance 
now  in  Placer,  Nevada  and  Sierra  coun- 
ties. It  really  is  a  revival,  having  been 
pursued  to  a  considerable  extent  early  in 
ttie  history  of  the  State,  and  then  aban- 


satisfactory  results.  In  a  few  in- 
. stances,  however,  these  attempts  proved 
;BO  disappointing  that  they  have  been 
'.abandoned. 

No  very  heavy  drift    operations  are  car- 
ried on  in  the  extreme  northern   part   of 


the 


State,    nor    in    any    of   the  counties 
of  Tuolumne,  for  the  reason  that  in 


doned  for  the  hydraulic  style.  During 
the  past  ten  or  a  dozen  years,  however,  it 
has  been  resumed  with  very  satisfactory 
results.  Already  it  has  done  a  good  deal ipjumas  and*Butte"drift "mining  iT  prose- 
to  replace  the  millions  added  to  the  an-  ,cuted  at  a  great  many  different  points, 
ruial  production  of  the  State  under  the;  but  mostly  in  a  limited  way  and  along 


old  system,  and   drift   mining   will  in  fu- 
ture years   add   scores  of  millions   to  the 


the  banks  of  present  streams  or  in  the 
buried  river  channels  of  a  comparatively 
recent  data.  In  the  regions  mentioned 


,iK        p    ,.  I  -i         11    -i-  •      •  •  ivrvcuv     u.at«7.       0.11      me     icijiwuo     u.nrn  nuuou. 

Drift  mining.  m-ithe  claims  worked  iu  thw  manner  are  so 
deed,  is  now  regarded  as  about  the  most  limited  in  extent  and  their  product  so, 
safe  and  certain  branch  of  tha  business  unimportant  that  they  scarcely  require  to 
ex:  ant.  Through  the  employment  of  ma-  be  individually  mentioned.  The  working 
chine  drills  and  more  powerful  explosives,  force  employed  is  invariably  small,  rarely 
,oth  the  cost  and  length  of  time  required1  ™J*»SS^&X*^  "* 
for  opening  this  class  of  deposits  have,  Oom|ng  south  into  Butte  and  piumaf 
been  greatly  reduced.  The  engineering  counties  we  enter  a  very  extensive  and 
difficulties  that  formerly  attended  this  :  productive  field  of  drift  mining.  The 
work  have  also  been  much  diminished,  a  "dead  rivers"  here  appear  in  great 


with    the  position  of  ^ength.     The  Spring  Valley  Company  at 


better 


to   drive  the    exploiting    tunnels    almost  BUCCeS3    bf  the    hydraulic  process,   con- 
always  on  the  right  level.  eluded  to  abandon  that  plan  and  adopt  the 

This  class  of  deposits  has  come  to  be  drift  method.  The  increasing  depth  of 
sought  after,  and  where  open  to  iocationithe  superincumbent  volcanic  matter  is 
are  speedily  taken  up.  A  vast  amount  of  the  cause  °*  thia  change.  Surveys  for  the 
exploratory  work  has  been  projected  «d  fe^ 
much 
shafts 


commenced,    a    large    number    af  etfecting    the    contemplated   change  also 
and    tunnels    being    in  operation,  j  made.     The  expense   is    much    less    than 


wasat  first   anticipated.     This   mine   has  ,  tire  Monte  Cristo  gravel  range. 

lor  the  past   twenty-five  years  employed  j.    1J?ere  «re  several  prosperous  dritt  camps 

an   average    oi    250  men;  its    output   of  |\J  Nevada  and^Plucer.   ^ In  the  vicinity  of 


gold  amounted,  meantime, 
000,000.       To      make      this 


production 


Ked  Dos  and  You  Bet  this  style  of  gold 
mining    gave    profitable    employ ment  to 


PWyWVW*  J.  V  ^I.AilA.^>  t  U  A  O  £/&  W  U%*  ViUXl      j    •  j  .    v        „ 

only  about  4800  linear  feet  of  the  channel  ! hundreds  of  men  many  years  ago.  The 
included  within  the  company's  ground  j  bu9i"ess  afterward  fell  into  decadence, 
have  been  exhausted.  Over  4000  feet  still  I  a.nd  ifc  ls  now  undergoing  marked  restora- 
remain,  but  this  being  of  extra  large  ui-  tion« 

In  other  parts  of  the  county  a  number 
of  drift  claims  have  in  like  manner  been 
resuscitated  and  are  now  success  .uliy 


usual  complement  ot   gold  dust,  its  entire  ! 
ouiput  amounting  now   to  about  $7,000,- 
000,    a    portion    saved   by   the    hydraulic 
process. 

In  El  Dorado,  Amador,  Calaveras  and 
Tuolumne  counties  some  drilt  mining  is 
carried  on,  Placerviilo  and  Mokelumne 
Hill  being  the  most  active  centers  of  this 
class  of  mininer.  Many  drift  claims  were 
opened  years  ago  un  ;er  the  "table  mouat- 


mensions — 800  feet  wide  and  nine  feet 
thick — it  is  believed  the  remaining  sec- 
tion, worked  by  the  more  economic  drift 

method,  will  yield  a  total  ot  $15,000,000.  1  °Perated  for  the  first  time  in  several 
As  the  company  own  over  2000  inches  of  Tear8-  The  Manzanita,  near  Nevada 
water  and  only  about  300  inches  are  re-  ^tv>  a  large  and  steady  pioducur  for  a 
quired  for  drifting,  .they  will  have  a  largo  ^ecade  or  more,  continues  to  turn  out  its 
surplus  to  be, sold  for  Irrigation  purposes. 
The  principal  drift  claims  worked  in  this 
county  are  the  Magalia,  Lucretia,  Bay 
State,  Oro  Fmo,  Indian  Springs  and  Eu- 
reka, several  of  lesser  importance  having 
been  operated  in  the  vicinity  of  Little  and 
Big  Butto  creeks. 

The  value  of   the  gravel  extracted   In 
Butte  ranges   from   $1   to  $5  par  carload ; 

mean  value,  about  $2.     In    thickness   the      -   ,,  .  

stratum  removed  ranges  from  two  and  a  ;<ain  *nat  traverses  Taolutnne  county,  but 
half  to  four  feet  and  in  width  from  twenty  *ne  niosl  of  these  enterprises  proved  un- 
to seventy-five  feet,  that  in  the  Cherokee  ^fortunate  ""d  but  little  has  been  done 
ground  having  the  exceptional  average  UWTi  of  late  years. 

thickness  of  nine   feet   and   width   of  600  ( 

feet.     The  number  of  men  employed  in  Working    the    i:iver    Beds. 

these  mines  runs  from  five  to  flit}',  the  The  interest  displayed  in  river-bed 
average  being  not  above  ten.  The  ground  mining  is  on  the  increase  year  by  year 

and  promises  to  add  materially  to  the 
future  output  of  the  State.  River- bed 
mining  consists  iri  diverting  the  rivers 
and  other  large  streams  wholly  or  in  part 
from  their  natural  channels,  with  a  view 
to  working  the  gravel  found  m  their  beds. 
While  this  business  is  pursued  on  most  of 
the  ,arger  streams  in  the  mining  regions 
of  California,  the  scenes  of  the  largest 


lifted  to  the  tunnel  level  by  pumping. 
Nearly  all  the  old  channels  in  Butte  are 
lava-capped,  and  they  have  to  ba  worked 
by  drifting,  hydraulic  washing  being  prac- 
ticable in  only  a  few  localities. 

Although  Plumas  is  not  largely  a  drift 
county,  it  contains  several  good  claims  of 
this  class,  the  Sunny  South  and  the 
Glazier  being  the  most  prominent.  A  [operations  are  the  Feather  river,  ia  Butte 
portion  of  the  North  America  has  an  en-  county,  and  Scott,  Salmon  and  Klamath 
trance  in  Sierra  and  extends  over  the  line  Drivers,  in  Siskiyou  county.  This,  too,  is  a 

in  tn  Pin  m  a  a  ... 

revival  of  another  of  our  primitive  meth- 
ods of  mining,  having  been  extensively 
practiced  here  in  early  days.  Their  beds 
having  been  pretty  well  worked  out, 
many  of  the  streams  were  abandoned 
years  ago.  Afterward  there  wa§  a 
general  return  to  the  business,  it  hav- 
ing been  found  that  the  beds  of 
these  streams  had  again  become  en- 


into Plumas. 

Corning  into  Sierra  county,  we  arrive  at 
the  heart  of  the  northern  drift  mines,  with 
Forest  City  for  its  center.  At  this  place 
two  large  companies,  the  Bald  Mountain 
Extension  and  the  South  Fork,  are  active- 
ly operating.  The  North  America  Com- 
pany, at  the  head  of  Slate  creek:,  have 
been  drilling  to  open  up  new  ground,  of 
which  they  have  iar^e  reserves  supposed 
to  be  rich.  The  channels  worked  out 
have  yielded  generously  lor  the  past 
twenty  years. 

Moi.te    Criato  and  Port  Wine,  famous 


riched  through  the  influx  of  tailings  from 
the  mines  being  worked  along  and  adja- 
cent to  their  banks.  Lastly,  the  tailings 
that  were  formerly  suffered  to  run  to 


old  drift  camps,  are   likely,    through    the  Lwaste  are  now  saved  and  treated  with  good 
investmenc  ot  much  capital  in  their  vicin-    an<i  sometimes   highly   remunerative  re- 

the 


ity — the  most  of  it  English — 10  soon  re- 
gain their  former  importance?  Some  of 
these  new  enterprises  are  already  produc- 
ing handsomely,  and  they  promise  to 
largely  iucreasa  the  amount  in  the  future. 
Additional  ground  has  been  bonded  by 
tiiese  and  other  foreign  companies,  aud  it 
be 


.suits.  The  waste  matter  from 
'hydraulic  mines,  which  in  many 
Instances  has  accumulated  in  great  quan- 
tities along  the  outletting  channels,  is 
-.being  in  various  localities  subjected  to  a 
rewashing  and  made  to  yield  satisfactory 
wages.  In  like  manner"  many  ot  the  old 
ore  dumps  are  being  sorted  over  and  cul- 


may  be  expected  thut  the  drift  industry  ,°re  dumps  are  being  sorted  over  and  cui- 
wili'at  no  distant  day  t>e  brought  into  a  'lings  reworked,  the  latter  yielding  often 
flourishing  condition  along  with  the  en-  wore  metal  under  the  new  processes  than 


yas    obtained    from    £he    ore  at  its  nrst 
handling. 

The  object  of  river-bed  mining  is  to  re- 
cover the  gravel  forming  the  bottoms  of 
river  channels  or  streams  and  known  to 
be  aun'erous.  To  do  this  various  expedi- 
ents are  resorted  to,  such  as  draining  the 
channel,  wholly  or  in  part,  subaqueous 
armor,  dredging,  etc.  Where  it  it  sought 
to  drain  the  whole  bed  of  the  stream  the 
water  is  diverted  by  means  of  dams  into  a 
ditch  or  flume  constructed  along  the  bank 
of  the  stream  to  a  point  below  the  section 
to  be  reclaimed,  and  there  the  entire  How 
is  returned  to  the  channel.  By  this  means 
such  fection  can  be  so  far  ireed  from  water 
that  it  is  possible  to  control  the  seepage 
by  pumps,  wheels,  etc.  Where  there  ex- 
ist natural  facilities  for  running  tunnels, 
the  entire  river  bed  can  in  like 
manner  be  laid  bara  by  such 
means.  When  the  design  is  to  dry 
and  work  only  a  strip  along  one  side  of 
the  river-bed  this  is  effected  by  what  in 
mining  parlance  is  termed  a  "wing  dam," 
that  is  a  water-tight  wall  which  starts 
from  the  b  ink  and  is  carried  out  a  short 
distance  into  and  down  the  river,  the  will 
being  continued  bacic  to  the  bank.  The 
water  inside  the  space  so  inclosed  is  then 
raisea  with  wheels  or  hand  pumps  and 
emptied  into  flumes  that  discharge  it  into 
the  river. 

The  above  comprise  the  only  methods 
successfully  employed  for  river-bed  work- 
ing in  California.  The  trials  made  with 
dredgers,  diving  apparatus,  etc.,  have 
proved  failures  alike  in  our  river  channels 
and  in  the  gold-bearing  sea  sands  along 
our  northern  co  tst. 

While  not  peculiar  to  California,  river- 
bed mining  has  been  pursued  here  on  a 
scale  not  paralleled  in  other  countries,  and 
the  efficiency  of  our  methods  greatly  sur- 
pass those  employed  elewhere.  Outside 
this  State  the  business  does  not  appear  to 
have  reached  large  proportions,  nor  has 
any  great  amount  of  gold  been  gathered 
elsewhere  by  this  method. 

Working  the  beds  of  the  rivers  that  tra- 
verse the  mining  regions  of  California  was 
begun  here  at  an  e  irly  day.  The  first 
crop  ot  gold  dust  harvested  by  this  mode, 
however,  was  very  bountiful.  Like  some 
other  kinds  of  gold  mining  here  this 
branch  nf  the  business,  after  having  pros- 
pered and  attained  large  dimensions,  un- 
derwent a  marked  decline.  It  has  for 
several  years  past  been  on  the  increase, 
however,  both  as  regards  the  number  and 
magnitude  of  the  operations. 

The  northern  tier  or  counties  is  distin- 
guished for  the  manv  river-bed  operations 
in  progress  there.  The  business  in  that 
section  of  the  State  is  prosecuted  mostly 
by  the  wing-dam  system.  Many  of  the 
claims  are  worked  by  the  Chinese,  who 
hold  some  by  loc  ition,  but  more  by  pur- 
cht.sa  or  under  lease  from  the  whites. 
Several  thousand  Mongolians  are  engaged 
in  this  class  of  mining  in  that  region. 
For  the  time  they  are  at  work  they  make 
good  wages.  Their  annual  earnings  are 
estimated  to  aggregate  a  million  dollars  at 


xpense  of  the    school  itself. 

1       -4-  *  -C  4-  *  4-  * 

has  exceeded  the  above  amount,  though 
their  average  earnings  are  of  course  much 
smaller.  These  companies  are  numerous 
along  these  northern  rivers.  Being  able 
to  work  their  claims  only  during  the  sum- 
mer and  fall  months,  this  class  of  miners 
turn  their  attention  to  other  pursuits  for 
the  rest  of  the  year,  such  as  farming, 
lumbering,  fruit-growing,  etc. 

The  following  constitute    the  principal 
localities   in    which    river-bed    mining  is 
now   being   carried   on   elsewhere    in  the 
State:     Along   the    several    forks    of  the 
Yuba,    the    American    and    the    Feather 
j  rivers  there  are  many  small  Chinese  with 
I  a     few     larger     white      companies,    en- 
!  gaged      in      reworking      the       beds     of 
theso     streams,    the      greater      portions 
of    which     have    been    gone    over    and 
cleaned  out  many  years  ago.    These  river- 
beds have  since  become  so  much  enriched  j 
•  through  the  deposit  of  tailings   from   the  j 
mines,    chiefly   the   hydraulic   washings, 
that  they  can,  with  the  present  improved 
gold-saving  appliances,  be  reworked  with 
profit.     There  are  here,  too,  some  spots  ot 
.  virgin  ground   that,    accidentally   passed 
over  by   the  pioneer  miners,   remain   to 
bless  the  gleaners  of  the  field. 

Most  of  the  operations  along  these 
streams,  as  well  as  at  the  few  points 
further  south,  where  any  of  this  sort,  of 
work  is  being  done,  are  carried  on  either 
by  wine-damming  or  by  diverting  the 
water  into  artificial  conduits  along  the 
river  banks,  freeing  the  entire  channels. 
Recourse  to  tunnels  for  effecting  the  same 
end  is  had  in, only  two  or  three  localities. 


Quartz     Mining. 

So  far  as  productiveness  and  extent  of 
operations  go,  however,  quartz  or  vein 
mining  is  the  leading  branch  of  the  busi- 
ness in  California,  fully  two-thirds  of  the 
gold  product  of  the  State  being  orrtained 
from  auriferous  ores.  This  branch  of  min- 
ing, says  an  authority,  is  spread  over  the 
entire  length  and  nearly  the  entire 
breadth  of  California,  being  pursued  to 
some  extent  in  three-fourths  of  the  coun- 
ties of  the  State.  This  industry  employs 
about  4000  stamps  or  their  equivalent, 
some  of  the  crushing  being  partormed  by 
arrastras,  roller  mills  and  similar  devices. 
Of  the  above  number  it  may  be  calculated 
that  3500  stamps  are  constantly  in  active 
service.  Estimating  that  these  stamps 
crush  ten  tons  of  ore  per  day  for  300  days 
in  the  year,  there  results  an  annual  toi'al 
of  2,100,000  tons  of  ore  crushed.  As  this 
ore  will  average  nearly  $7  per  ton.  the 


yield   amounts,  at  the  lowest  calculation,  j 
to  $13,000,OUO  per  annum.     That  this  prod- 
uct  will    be   steadily  increased    for  many 
years  to  come  there  is  good  reason  to  be- 
lieve.   Nevada,  Amadornnd  Sierra  remain 
the  leading  quartz  mining  counties  of  the  ; 
State,   their  annual  output  amounting  to 
$3,000,000,000,    $2,000,000   and  $1,500,000  re- 
spectively.   Tiie  now  impetus   in  auartz 
mining  is  due^'fo  the  introduction  of  im- 
proved   mechanisms,  appliances  and  pro- 
ceases.     Through  the  use  of  these  aids  the 
tendency  is  constantly  toward  the  work- 
ing of  poorer  ores  and  other  low-grade  ma- 
terial, so    much   so   that   mines   not   long 
since  considered  worthless  are  now  being 
operated  with  profit.  Gold-bearing  quartz 
is  now   being   milled   in    this   State,   ;>.nd 
made  to   pay,    that  yields   a  total  of  less 
than   $2  per  ton,  the   conditions  in  such 
cases  being,  of  course,  exceptionally  favor- 
able.    Then,    too,    invention    is   ever   on 
the  rack  to  discover  new   means    of  re- 
ducing   rebellious    ores,    the    steady    re- 
sultant    being    an   ever    increasing    out- 
put   or    gold.      Again,    science    has  been 
called  in  and  tha  extraction  of  gold  from 
sulphurets  is  no  longer  a  mere  mechanicul 
process,    but   involves    wasting,    treating 
with    chemical   solutions  and  other  intri- 
cate  and    delicate    operations    known  to 
metallurgists.       Many  a  mine  really  de- 
pends for  its  success  upon  the  adoption  of 
the  most  suitable  method  for  dealing  with 
the  sulphureta. 

There  are  perhaps  100  arrastras  running 
in  different  parts  of  tha  St.ita,  some  of 
them  by  water,  the  greater  number,  how- 
ever, by  horse  or  mule  power.  The  latter 
crush  an  avenge  of  one  ton,  and  the  for- 
mer two  to  three  tons  per  day.  Those 
machines  are  employed  where  there  is 
only  a  «raall  amount  of  ore  to  be  crushed, 
and  which  must  necessarily  be  or'  good 
grade  to  justify  its  being  worked  by 
this  slow  method.  The  arrastra  process  is 
a  favorite  one  wilh  the  Mexicans,  in 
whose  country  it  is  largely  adopted  in 
both  gold  and  silver  mining. 

Of  our  California  quartz  mills,  about  60 
per  cent  are  run  exclusively  by  water, 
30  per  cent  wholly  by  steam,  and  10  per 
cent  by  both  water  and  steam,  the  latter 
being  used  when  the  water  tails,  as  fre- 
quently hapoens  toward  the  end  of  the 
dry  SB  iion. 

Attached  to  a  few  of  the  larger  mills  are 
chlorination  works  for  treating  the  sul- 
phurets wed  by  concentration,  now 
practiced  where  the  ore  carries  any  con- 
siderable percentage  of  auriferous  sulphu- 
reta, as  most  of  the  California  gold-bearing 
qu  irtz  do. 

The  stamps  in  use  with  us  range  in 
weight  from  400  to  1000  pounds  each.  The 
average  is  about  800  pounds  or  a  little  less. 
In  former  years  they  were  much  lighter 
than  now,  the  tendency  having  been 
steadily  toward  increased  weight.  In 
U  KIIOW,  mat  the  nnai 


only  a  few  instances,  however,  have 
stamps  been  used  weighing  as  much  as 
1000  pounds  each.  There  prevails  among 
our  millmen  a  disposition  to  tincl  some- 
thing that  will  do  not  oniy  cheaper  but 
better  work  than  the  stumps,  and  many 
experiments  with  the  various  other  ma- 
chines mentioned  are,  being  made  to  that 
end.  That  either  these  or  other  more 
h'ighly  perfected  devices  will  succeed  in 
largely,  if  not  wholly,  supplanting  the 
stamp  is  not  improbable.  The  latter  has, 
however,  succeeded  in  keeping  its  place 
in  most  of  tho  larger  mills. 

As  in  every  mining  country,  the  cost  of 
ore  extraction  and  reduction  varies  over 
a  wide  ran.ie  in  California,  there  being 
mines  in  this  State  where  the  cost  of  both 
operations  is  reduced  to  iesa  than  $1. 
These  are,  however,  exceptional  cases, 
nor  are  they  at  nil  numerous,  the  cost  of 
mining  varying  here  from  40  cents  to  $3 
per  ton,  and  the  coat  of  milling  from  39 
cents  to  $2  per  ton,  the  mean  cost  of  the 
former  being  about  $2  And  tne  latter  about 
$1  per  ton.  The  figures  here  given  refer 
to  our  ordinary  gold-bearing  quartz. 
There  is  a  class  of  this  ore  so  debased  that 
the  cost  or  its  reduction  is  much  greater 
than  the  rates  above  given.  The  expense 
of  reducing  our  argentiferous  ores  13  also 
srreatly  in  excess  of  these  rates,  some  of 
these  ores  requiring  to  be  treated  by 
roasting  or  smelting,  though  generally 
susceptible  of  reduction  by  the  simple  mill 
or  pan  process. 

Exclusive  of  the  big  establishments  de- 
signed to  buy  ores  and  do  custom  work, 
there  are  not  more  than  a  dozen  smelters 
in  the  State,  the  mo*t  of  these  being  lo- 
cated in  Inyo  county,  only  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  whole  being  now  in  operation. 
The  silver  etamp  mills  are  included  in  the 
list  of  quartz  mills. 

Other    Kinds     of    Mining. 

Besides  those  already  mentioned  and 
partially  described,  the  gold-bearing  de- 
posits of  California  occur  in  several  other 
forma,  all  designated  by  names  more  or 
less  nt,  a  few  being  perhaps  a  little  fanci- 
ful. The  most  of  these  deposits  are,  in 
fact,  distinguished  not  so  much  by  any 
inherent  peculiarities  as  by  the  conditions 
under  which  they  are  found  and  the 
methods  and  appliances  adopted  in  work- 
ing them. 

The  auriferous  beach  sands,  which  once 
afforded  profitable  employment  to  many 
men,  have  years  since  became  so  im- 
poverished that  they  figure  no  longer 
among  our  available  mineral  resources. 
These  ocean  placers  have,  in  fact,  re- 
sponded so  feebly  to  the  attempts  made 
of  late  to  work  them  that  beach  mining 
muy  be  ranked  among  our  extinct  indus- 
tries. But,  for  all  this,  we  have  these  de- 
posits of  low  grade  in  indefinite  quantity 
occurring  at  interval*.  They  reach  along 


I 


jtie  seashore  for  many  miles,  extending:  at 
several  points,  in  the'form  of  buried  chan- 
nels, some  distance  inland.  So  abundant, 
but  now  so  poor,  these  gold-bearing  sands 
await  the  coming  machine  that  is  to  make 
their  further  working  profitable.  Many 
machines  claiming  the  ability  to  do  this 
h  ive  already  been  invented  and  tested, 
but  none  of  them  have  fully,  or  even  more 
than  partially,  met  the  requirements  of 
the  case. 

Meantime  the  auriferous  beaches  con- 
tinne  10  be  worked  at  a  few  points  and  in 
a  small  way.  Along  the  seashore  in 
Humboldt  and  pel  Norta  counties,  for- 
merly the  chief  sites  of  this  cl  iss  of  min- 
ing, the  residents  of  that  section  of  the 
State  gather  from  these  sands  by  hand 
sluicing  a  little  gold  every  year.  Their 
earnings  are  small  and  their  labor  inter- 
mittent, being  prosecuted  only  when  they 
h  .ve  water  for  the  washing,  which  iu 
moat  localities  is  the  case  during  only  a 
sm  .11  portion  of  the  year. 

Besides     these       "gold      bluffs"      and 
"beaches"  we  have  in  California  a  variety 
of    other    auriferous     deposits,    some    of 
which,  like  the  gold  bluffs,  are  peculiar  to 
the  State;  nor  do  more  ihan  a  few  of  the 
others   meet  elsa  where   with    such   large 
development    as   nere.     The  principal  of 
these   deposits,  designating   them  by  the 
iorial  nam?s,  consist  of  the  following,  viz.  : 
The  dry  diggings,  so  called,  are  airnply 
such   surface   placers  as,  being  without  a 
sufficient    nitur.l    supply    of.  water    tor 
washing,  cannot  be  supplied   by  artificial 
means.     There  are  many  localities  of  this 
character  in  California,     in  cases   of 'this 
kind,  it  the  auriferous   earth   is    not  rich 
enough  to   bear  transportation  to  water, 
the  gold   is  separated    from    it    by  "dry 
washing,"  a  process    formerly   conducted 
by  means  of  the  Mexican  batei,  still   em- 
ploved  in  some  places.     By   the  Spanish- 
speaking  races  the  batea  continues  to  be 
exclusively  used  in    the  dry  diggings,  and 
these  people  are  very  skillful  in  -nan  iling 
it.      Latterly    dry-washing    machines    of 
various  lands   have  been   invented,   some 
of  which  are  efficient,  as  much  so,  in  fact, 
as  cm  reasonably  be  looked  for,  consider- 
ing the  inher«nt  diffi  uity   of    the  work. 
An    entirely    satisfactory   dry  washer  re- 
mains,   however,    a    desideratum.     There 
are  in  this   State   extensive    deposits    for 
which    the  dry  washer   alone   is  adapted, 
but  these  remain  little    utilized,  owing  to 
I  lack  of  a  more   effective   machine  of  this 
I  kind.     These  deposits  occur  mostly  on  the 
Mojave  and   Colorado   deserts.     Some  are  • 
met    with,    also,  in  Los  Angeles   and   San  j 
Diego    counties.       Whsti    found     farther 
north  they  are  situated  for  the  most  part 
in  small  gulches  and  flats,  often  at  con- 
siderable  altitudes. 

The   seam   diggings   consist   of   narrow 
veins  of  auriferous    quartz,    v  rying   from 
not  more  than  half  an  incn  to  an  inch    or 
two  in  thickness,  found  in    this   State   oc-  * 
casionally   traversing    other    formations,  , 
and  which  but  for  their  extreme    richness  . 
would  not;ju»tiiv  the   expense   attendant 
on  extraction.     Carrying   so  much  gold  as 
they  do,  the  working  of  these   veins   has 


generally  proved  remunerative.  The 
weak  point  about  these  "razor-blade" 
veins,  as  they  ;\re  called,  is  their  unreli- 
able character;  seldom  do  they  extend  to 
any  great  depth,  nor  does  their  we  dth  of 
gold  always  run  with  their  downward 
continuity. 

The  best  paying  deposits  of  this  kind 
were  found  some  years  ago  in  Greenwood 
valley,  El  Dorado  county.  They  yielded 
largely  for  a  time,  but  are  now  pretty 
well  worked  out.  In  the  South  Fork  dis- 
trict, Shasta  county,  occur  many  of  these 
narrow  veins,  their  average  thickness  be- 
ing about  three  inches.  They  are  not  so 
rich,  but  thev  go  deeper  here,  more  gen- 
erally than  has  elsewhere  been  th?  case, 
some  of  them  carrying  their  usual  quant- 
ity of  gold  and  holding  it  for  forty  or 
fifty  feet  before  the  inclosing  granite 
pinches  t!v?tn  out.  In  this  locality  the 
ore  taken  out  is  worked  in  arrastras; 
there  have  for  many  yi'ars  been  live  or 
Six  o'  them  running  in  the  district,  earn- 
ing for  the  owners  very  lair  and  occa- 
sionally large  wages.  Tnese  machines 
are  driven  i:y  w  ;ter  and  crush  from  two 
to  three  tons  of  ore  psr  day.  As  a  ruie 
tho  quartz  mined  in  the  "seam  diggings" 
is  worked  in  hand  mortars;  its  small 
quantity  and  great  richness  rendering 
this  the  most  deatrubla  method  for  its  re- 
duction. 

The  cement  deposits  are  composed  of 
fche  indurated  gold-bearing  gravel  taken 
trom  the  hydraulic  -and  drift  mines, 
mostly  iroru  the  latter,  and  which,  owing 
to  its  hardness,  has  to  be  crushed  witii 
stamps.  This  indurated  gravel  is  met 
with  more  largely  in  the  southern  than  iu 
the  more  northerly  drift  mines,  75  of  the 
100  stamps  employed  in  crushing  it  being 
in  Nevada  and  Placer  counties.  A*  the 
hydraulic  washings  approached  bedrock 
mote  of  this  material  was  encountered, 
and  but  for  tne  check  put  on  this  class  of 
operations  twice  as  many  stamps  as  are  in 
use  at  present  would  probably  be  em- 
ployed crushing  cement." 

"Pocket"  mining:  consists  in  the  exploit- 
ation of  that  class  of  quartz  lodes  in  which 
the    available   ore   occurs   mostly   in    the 
form  of  rich  bunches  or  "pockets'."   While 
these  bunches  are   apt  to    be   much  scat- 
tered,   occurring  only   at  long  intervals, 
this  is   sometimes  a   lucrative   branch   of 
nuininz.    Its  grand  chances  Drove  very  al- 
luring  to  the   more   adventurous  class  of  j 
prospectors.       While    rich    pockets    have 
been  encountered  in  the   quirtz   loies   in  i 
all  parts  of  the  State  and  throughout   the  j 
entire    history    of      mining,     Tuolumne  ' 
county  has   been   most  distinguished   for 
deposits    of  this    kind.      From    what    is 
known  as   the   Bonanza  claim,    near   the 
town  of  Sonora,  there  was  claimed  to  have  j 
been  taken   durinar  the  four  years   precad-  ; 
ing  1882   nearly  $1,000,000,   all   realized  at  | 
small    expense — not    ino,-e   than     naif   a  : 
dozen    laborers    were    employed.       Since 
that    time    the    claim    has   yielded,    it  is 
stated,   with    equal   net  profit,   about   as 
much  more.      Since    1852    this    neighbor- 
hood    has      been     noted    for    finds    of 
this      character.        During       that     year 


uilding  undermined, 
•eda  of  pounds  weight 
ce  straws  in  the  cur- 
•ains  were  moved  in 
7  topography  of  the 

not*  here  that  while 
;o  ourselves  of  having 
sluicing,  our  mighty 


$2,000,000  to  $3,000,000  to  The  mile. 

According  to  the  reports  of  the  engineers 
detailed  by  the  Government  to  examine 
into  the  question  of  mining  debris,  there 
were  some  857,000,000  cubic  yards  of  mate- 
rcavated  during  the  prevalence  of 
hydraulic  operations,  of  which  230,000,000 
yards  remained  in  the  beds  of  the  three 
principal  rivera  affected— the  Yuba,  B 


THE    MAN    WHO    DISCOVKRED    SOLD. 


»    exaggeration  ot 
tomans  in  Spain, 
nother  labor,  too, 
ne   which  entails 

and  American.     After  a  careful  examina- 
tion of  the  damage  done   by   this   debris 
the  engineers    reported    the    following  as 
tbe  injury  done  alon/?   the   three   streams 

pended,  contained  the  following  clau: 
the  case  being  that  of  Woodruff  vs.  t 
North  Bloorn field  Mining  Company  et  a 
"On  consideration  whereof  it  is  by  t; 
court  ordered,  adjudged  and  decreed 
follows,  to  wit:  That  the  delendan 
herein  and  their  and  e.ich  and  all  of  the 
servants,  agents  and  employes  are  pe 
petually  enjoined  and  restrained  fro 
discharging  or  dumping  into  the  Yuba  ( 
into  any  of  the  forks  or  branches  or  in 
any  stream  tributary  to  said  river  or  at 
of  its  forks,  ravines  or  branches,  and  e 
pecially  into  Deer  creek,  Sucker  Flat  r, 
vine,  Humbug  creek,  Scotchman's  creel 
any  of  the  tailings,  bowlders,  cobbl 
stones,  gravel,  sand,  clay,  debris  or  refu- 
matter  from  any  of  the  tracts  of  miner 
land  or  mines  described  in  the  complain 
and  also  from  causing  or  suffering  to  flo 
into  said  rivers,  creeks  or  tributai 
streams  aforesaid  therefrom  any  of  tL 
tailings,  bowlders,  cobble-stones,  grave 
sand,  clay,  or  refuse  matter  resulting  o 
arising  from  mining  thereon;  and  al* 
from  allowing  others  to  use  the  watt- 
supply  of  said  several  mines  or  minin 
claims  or  any  part  thereof  for  the  purpos 
of  washing  into  eaid  rivers  and  stream 
any  earth,  rock,  bowlders,  clay,  sand  o 
solid  material  contained  in  any  placer  o 
gravel  ground  or  mine." 

As  a  result  of  this  inhibition  a  product 
of  $10,000,000  annually  was  cut  off,  a  laru 
share  of  which  hud  found  its  way  directfj 
into  the  channels  of  trade.  At  the  sam 
time  property  in  whicn  had  been  investe< 
fully  $100,000,000  was  mad:e  useless,  an< 
has  remained  so  to  this  time. 

In  reply  to  the  question,  "Canhydrauli< 
mining  be  resumed  without  injury  to  the 
navigable  streams?"  the  Board  of  En 
gineers  reported: 

'It  is  not  apparent  to  the  board  that 
any  expression  of  opinion  orrecommenda 
tion  will  have  any  effect  in  rehabilitating 
the  industry  in  the  present  legal  status  o 
the  question.  Without  some  modification 
then,  of  existing  conditions  hydrauli< 
mining  must  cease.  It  cannot  be  carri 
on  without  violating  the  decrees  of 
courts. 

'If,  however,  by  a  reversal  of  the  opin- 
ions of  the  courts  or  by  other  means  hy- 
draulic mining  be  permitted  in  whole  or 
in  part,  or  if  without  such  reversal  an  ex- 
pression of  opinion  is  required  as  to  the 
feasibility  of  impounding  mining  debris, 
the  board  will  stata  that  the  investiga- 
tions and  examinations  made  indicate 
that  in  isolate  1  cases  it  Js  possible  to  im- 
pound debris  without  injury;  also,  that 
locations  exist  in  the  canyons  of  the 
different  mining  streams  in  the  Sierra  dis- 
trict where  permanent  stone  dams,  pro- 
perly constructed,  will  retain  large  quan- 
tities of  material  of  the  character  formerly 
mined  out  and  which  caused  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  farming  lands  and  injured  the 
navigation  of  the  rivers. 


imit 

Tied 

r 


THB3 


,^r 


a  party  of  Mexicans  took  out  on 
B  ild  mountain,  two  miles  north  of 
Sonora,  as  much  gold  as  wouM  load  a 
mule,  exactly  how  much  was  never 
known.  Near  Littleton,  a  few  miles 
south  of  Sonora,  two  miners  camo 
upon  a  neat  of  these  "chispis,"  and 
gathered  over  $100,000  worth.  From  a 
claim  at  Don  Pedro's  bar,  in  this 
county,  there  was  taken  aotne  years  ago 
the  sura  of  $100,000,  at  a  cost  not  to  ex- 
ceed $5000.  From  the  Morgan  quartz 
claim,  on  Carson  hill,  just  over  the  line 
;  in  Calaveras  countv,  tuere  was,  in  the 
early  fifties,  pounded  out  with  a, 
hand  mortar  and  pestle,  gold  vlaued 
at  $3. 000,000.  With  such  results  extend- 
ing through  so  many  years  and  scattered 
all  over  the  State,  it  is  not  strange  that 
this  exploiting  for  pockets  should  be  with 
many  a  favorite  style  of  mining. 

Hunting  for  "nuggets"  is  carried  on  in 
both  vein  and  placer  deposits.  The 
greatest  success  of  late  has  been  met  with 
in  the  latter.  During  the  year  1889  Appel 
&  Grant,  working  their  quartz  claim  at 
Chip's  Fiat,  Sierra  county,  it  is  recorded, 
took  out  in  a  few  months,  and  with  little 
more  cost  than  their  own  labor,  over 
$100,000  worth  of  nuggets,  besides  largo 
quantities  of  rich  ore  not  yet  reduced. 
From  the  Baughart  mine,  located  twelve 
miles  northwest  from  the  town  of  Shasta, 
there  was  taken,  several  years  since,  a 
large  number  of  nuggets  which  weighed 
over  a  pound  each,  besides  many  of  lesser 
weight.  From  a  placer  claim  situated  on 
the  Monte  Cristo  graval  range  there  was 
taken  a  lot  of  nuggets  ranging  in  value 
from  $300  to  $800  each.  These  nuggets 
much  resembled  in  size  and  form  small 
cobble  stones. 


tion.  We,  the  teachers  of  t 
paths  trod  by  generation  al 
with  the  vain  idea  that  we 
ticians,  and  were  securing  in 
But  we  not  only  did  nothing 
knew  that  we  had  the  pow( 
as  if  one  should  attempt  to 
of  himself  by  following  a  le 
The  student  of  to-day  mus 
done  for  us  by  others.  He 
followed.  His  teacher  sta: 
efforts  are  well  directed  and 
sary  delay  in  overcoming  un 
So,  also,  as  regards  the  : 


YBAR. 


1848.. 

1849.. 

1850.. 

1851. 

1852. 

1853. 

185-1. 

1855. 

1856. 

1857 . 

1858. 

1859 . 

1860. 

1861. 

1862., 

1853. 

1864. 

1865. 

1866.. 

1867 .. 

1868.. 

1869.. 

1870  . 
.  1871.. 
I  1872  . 
I  1873.. 

1874.. 

1875.. 

1876.. 

1877.. 

1878.. 

1879.. 

1880.. 

1881.. 

1882.. 

1883.. 

1884.. 

1885.. 

1886.. 

1887.. 


1889. 
1890. 
1891. 


Cali- 
fornia. 

$10, 000,  (XX 
40,000,000 
50,000,00( 
55,000,00( 
60,000. 0(K 
65,000,000 
60,000,000 
'55,006,  OCX 
55, 000,  OCX 
55,000,000 
50.000.000 
50.000.00C 
45,000.000 
49,000,000 
34,700,00( 
30,000.000 
26,000,000 
28  500,000 
25.500,000 
25,000.000 
22,000  O.TO 
22.500.000 
25,000,000 
20,000,000 
19,000.000 
17,000,000 
18,000  000 
17,000,000 
17.800,000 
15.000,000 
15,300,000 
17600,000 
17,500  000 
18,200,0(30 
16,800,000 
14,120,000 
13,600,000 
12,803,000 
13.200.000 
11,800,000 
10.100.003 
10,800,000 
9.900.000 
10,400,000 


Other 

States. 


1,000,000 
3,000  000 
4,500,000 
10,000,000 
19,500,000 
24.725000 
28.000000 
26,725,600 
26,000,000 
27,000,000 
25,000,000 
23,500,000 
17,000  000 
19,000,000 
15,400,000 
16.400,000 
22,100.000 
31,800,000 
35,900,000 
21,200,000 
18,500.000 
13,500,000 
15,700,030 
15,500.000 
17,200,000 
14,100,000 
16,400.000 
20,700,000 
19,900,000 
22,200,000 
21,900.000 
21,300,000 


Total 
Product. 


$10,000,000 

40,000,000 

50.000,000 

55,000,000 

60,000.000 

65,000,000 

60,000,000 

55.000.000 

55,000,000 

55.000.000 

50,000,000 

50,000.000 

46.000,000 

43,000,000 

39,200.000 

40,000,000 

46,100,000 

53,225,000 

53,500,000 

51,725,000 

48,000,000 

49,500,000 

50,000,000 

43,500.000 

36,000,000 

36  000,000 

33,400,000 

33,400,000 

39,900,000 

46,800,000 

51,200,000  ' 

38,800,000 

36,000,000 

34,700,000 

32,500,000 

30,000,000 

30,800,000 

26,400,000 

29.600,000  i 

32,500,000  j 

80,000,000  ! 

32.500,000 

31,800,000 

31,700.000 


Gold     Not     JKxhausted. 

In  corroboration  of  the  position  as- 
sumed at  tne  outset  that  the  gold  deposits 
of  this  State  tiro  not  by  any  means  ex- 
hausted, the  opinion  of  the  State  Miner- 
alogist, William  Irelan  Jr.,  may  be  cited, 
together  with  interesting  statements  bear- 
ing upon  the  subject  of  mining  in  general, 
some  of  which  have  already  been  quoted. 

The  impression  widely  obtains,  he  says, 
that  the  gold"  mines  in  California  have 
b-?en  depleted  below  the  point  of  profitable 
production.  Many  otherwise  "well  iiv- 
formed  persons  entertain  this  idea. 
Nothing  can  be  more  erroneous.  The 
gold  taken  out  ha*  exhausted  but  little  of 
our  auriferous  wealth,  nor  has  tho  annual 
production  heretofore  much  exceeded 
wh.it  we  may  reasonably  hope  to  reach 
and  m:dnttin  in  tne  future. 

Again,  it  is  a  mistake  to  suppose,  as 
many  do,  that  the  earnings  of  the  pioneer 
miners  were  greatly  in  excess  of  those  at 
the  present  day.  They  were,  to  be  sure, 
somewhat  larger,  but  "not  in  the  pro- 
portion popularly  believed. 

Daring  the  era  of  the  largest  gold  pro- 
duction in  this  State — sajr  from  1850  to 
1855  inclusive—  tha  annual  output  of  gold 
averaged  about  only  $55,000,000.  As  the 


mining:  population  numbered,  meantime, 
about  150,000,  their  individual  earnings 
averaged  barely  $366  per  year,  not  much 


1  state,     it  fa 


yet 


rnora  than   the  sm  iller    population    now      staRe  of  sturdy  infancy. 
in  the  mines   are   able    to    earn,    !  ^r?_r^t^in  the  .fuiure- 


working  by  no   means  si>   many   days    in 
the    year    as    their   predecessors.     Tnos  e 
who  work  for  wages   do   nearly    as   wo!  1 
now  as  they  ever  did,  all   things  consid- 
ered.      But    it     now     requires    a    larger 
amount  of  both  skill   and    capital   to    ac- 
complish much  in  our   mines   than    w  ere 
needed  in  the  early   days,  a   condition    of 
things    that  put*    the   mere  wage-ear  ner 
and  worker  at  a  disadvantage. 

As  regards  the  extant  of  our  mining 
field  it  is  simply  illimitable.  A  hundred 
millions  of  additional  capital  might  as 
well  bo  invested  there  as  not,  nor  would 
100,000  men  crowd  it  any  more  than  60,000. 
Or  the  mineral  deposits  that  actually  ex- 
ist in  California  not  a  tithe  probably  has 
yet  beea  discovered,  nor  hag  u  much 
larger  proportion  of  those  already  dis- 
covered been  developed  to  a  productive 
condition.  We  hava  made  a  good  begin- 
ning —  h.-trdly  more. 


fined,  as  formerly,  to  the  production  ot 
the  precious  metals.  While  gold  mining 
continues  with  us  the  le  idin<*  branch  of 
the  business,  several  of  the  inferior 
metals,  as  well  as  many  of  the  useful 
minerals,  are  now  produced  here  in  con- 
siderable quantities.  Of  the  latter  th-.To 
remains  still  a  number  with  which  little 
Or  nothing  has  been  yet  done,  though  we 
have  them  of  good  quality  and  iu  the 
greatest  abundance. 

Besides  her  srold  fields,  the  most  exten- 
f  sive  and  prolific  of  any  in  the  world,  and 
silver-bearing  lodes  in  countless  num- 
bers, C  difornia  possesses  the  more  com- 
mon metals  and  in  nerals  in  great  variety. 
This  State  is  amply  supplied  with  depop- 


Oar  true  golden 
.  not  in  the  past. 

Our  M  Dorado  has  not  yet  beea  revealed 
to  us.  It  lies  buried  deep  in  the  bowels 
of  the  earth. 

The  placer  deposits  that  have  made  for 
us  such  a  name  and  given  to  mining  such 
impetus  and  eclat  were  but  driblets  which 
nature,  having  released  from  their  mat- 
rices, brought  within  our  easy  reach  as  a 
rae:»ns  of  encouraging  us  to*  further  ef- 
forts, and  leading  us  on  to  that  greater 
and  more  enduring  wealth  stored  away  in 
the  rocky  rib*  of  the  mountains. 

What  is  here  claimed  tor  the  future  of 
mining  in  California  ia  strongly  fore- 
abudowed  by  what  has  already*  taken 
place.  For  several  years  past  our  annual 
cutout  of  bullion  has  boon  considerable, 
and  but  lor  the  suppression  ot  hydraulic 
minium,  formerly  a  prolific  source  of  pro- 
duction, would  have  shown  a  marked  in- 
crease. That  gravel  washing  by  this 
me:  hod  will  be  resumed,  at  least 


u^ — u.truiy    U1UJ.U.  —  -  ~i  "v  iv       »    «*«     i'ail» 

Mining   in   this    State   13  not  now  con-     we  h;ive  reason  to  hope.     It  would  hardly 


be  creditable  to  our  engineering  skill 
should  we  fail  to  devise  means  and 
methods  whereby  this  class  of  debris 
could  be  so  disposed  of  that  hydraulic;  oper- 
ations might  be  largely  carried  on  without, 
serious  detriment  to  other  interests. 
Could  this  very  desirable  end  ba  reached 
the  gold  product  of  the  State  would  at 
once  uo  advanced  by  several  millions  an- 
nually. 

There  has  among  writers  on  the  sub- 
let   ever    existed    a    wide   difference    of 
as  to  the  number  of  men  engaged 
e   business   of  mining   in  California, 
for   that  mailer  in  other  of  the  Pa- 
States   and   Territories.     H.  C.  Bur- 
Director  of  the  Mint,  in  his  report 


and 

ciric 

chard. 


, 

its  of  iron,  tin,  lead,    copper'and'qulcksTl-    torm2>  estimated  the  number  throughout 
ver    borax,  salt  and  soda;  peiroleSm,  nat-    our  eutlre  m»*™K  region  as  follows: 


i*   **     I          fV'    V*     »'*>VJ    I*    111.          J  id  If*  At  „          ,*  — -. 

___^sandasphaitnm;.gypsum,steatUe,    ^fS^;; 


,  , 

graphite    manganese  and   chromium,  and 
With    coal,    nickel,     antimony,    asbestos,    Dakota 
cements,  ochre,  sulphur  and  magnesia    to    Idaho  ............   4,70» 

a  more  limited  extent;  the  plastic  clays, 
infusorial  earth,  lime  and  ouilding  stones, 
including  the  fissile  slates,  abounding  in 
many  parts  of  the  State. 

There  is  scarcely   a  county  in  California 
but  possesses   valuable  mineral    deposits 


Nevada 6,674 

, —  New  Mexico 1,496 

Colorado 28,970  Oregon 3696 

Daknto  q  iv7,i  Wyoming 328 

Utah 2,592 


This,     though    much    larger    than    the 
number  fixed  on  by  some,  was  at  the  time 
probably  very  nearly   correct,  the  total  in 
___________    ________  „    all    these    States   and    Territories,  except 

Of  ou«  kind  or  another,  the  wide  distribu-  California  and  Nevada,  having  been  some- 
tion  of  these  products  being  something  re-  what,  and  in  most  cases,  largely  increased 
markable.  Of  the  fifty-four  counties  in  since,  reaching  now  140,000  at"  least.  By 
the  State  fourteen  make  a  notable  pro-  tn^s  *s  meant  persons  engaged  directly 
duction  of  gold  and  twelve  of  both  gold  and  indirectly  iu  mining  for  gold,  silver, 
and  silver,  there  being  a  number  of  coun-  |eft(i  «nc"  copper,  there  being  a  good  many 
ties  in  which  these  metals  in  snvillar  I  in  California,  with  a  few  also  in  some  of 
quantities  are  turned  out  every  year.  I  the  other  States  and  -Territories  named, 


engaged  in  various  other  branches  of  min- 
in?- 

apportioning    the    present    mining 


Five  counties  produce  more  or  less  quick- 
silver, two  borax,    three  salt,  four  asphal 

turn,  two  petroleum,  three  copper,  etc.  „ 

W«re  California  even   poor  in    the  pre-   population  among  the  different  States  and 
cious  metals  she  would  yet  become  a  great   Territories   they  may    be   assigned  as  fol- 
mmins  State.     With   such   wealth  as  this   lows: 
she  is,  in  this   respect,    destined    to   be    a  Arizona 5,000 

^rsW^r0'  in  the  fiaancial1ir°":::::iI;E 

Montana . .' .' .' .' .' ' ." 25 .'OOO 


Idaho 15,000 

Nevada. „ 6,000 


New  Mexico....  6,000 

Oregon 5,000 

Wyoming 1,000 

Utah.... 6,000 

Total 146,000 


In    the   absence  ot    any    ornciai    count, 
there  can  only  be  claimed  for  these  figures-  can 
un  approximate  correctness.  season  wlien 

It  is  more  difficult  to  arrive  at  accnracv    ciassas  work 


on  this  point  in  California  than  in  our 
other  mining  States  and  Territories, 
owing  to  the  much  larger  number  of  self-- 
employers we  have  here,  the  many  differ- 
ent kinds  of  mining  in  which  they  arei 
engaged  and  the  manner  in  which  they 
are  scattered  over  a  great  extent  of  terri- 
tory. In  these  other  countries  mining 
operations  are  carried  on  more  by  large  ^ 
companies,  the  number  of  whose  em- 
ployes can  easily  and  definitely  be  ascer-  ( 


his  labors  only  in  the  dry 
the  streams  are  low;  other' 
to  better  advantage  in  the 


wet  season,  when  the  water  is  plentiful. 
Only  then  can  the  so-called  "dry  dig- 
Kings"  be  worked  or  ground  sluicing  be 
carried  on.  Much  of  the  hydraulic  wash- 
ing is  ojso  confined  to  this  season. 

Owing  to  this  condition  of  things,  most 
of  our  placer  miners  devote  a  portion  of 
their  time  to  other  pursuits,  such  as  farm- 
ing, fruit  and  stock  raising,  lumbering, 
etc.  They  are  apt  to  be  land-owners  in  a 
small  way,  nearly  all  of  them  possessing 
an  orchard  and  garden,  with  a  Jew  acres 


for  grain   growing    and    prbturage.     The 


tained. 

Where  men    are    employed    by  scores 

hundreds  and  even  thousands,  as  on  the  lria.1°r  portion  of  the  gold  fields  are  ad- 
Com  stock  range  and  in  the  big  mines  of  ,  mirably  adapted  for  grape  and  fruit  cul- 
Utah,  Colorado  and  Montana,  it  is  much 

I 


ture. 

The  wages  paid  underground  miners  in 
this  State,  both  vein  and  drift,  are  almost 
uniformly  $3  per  day.  Millinen  and  other 
above-ground  hands  receive  irom  $2  50  to 
$2  75  per  day.  Chinamen,  where  em- 
ployed, are  paid  about  one-half  these 
rates.  This  is  without  board  and  lodging; 
when  these  are  included  the  miner  is 
charged  for  them  at  the  rate  of  about  $8 
per  week. 

If  the  average  earnings  of  the  miners 
who  work  their  own  claims  full  below  the 
above  rates  it  is  to  be  considered  how 
much  of  their  time  is  to  be  given  up  to 
other  pursuits  which,  besides  contribut- 
ing largely  towards  their  livelihood,  in- 
sure them  always  comfortable  homes.  In 
no  otner  part  of  the  world  does  the  minw1 
live  so  well  nor  is  he  so  independent  as  in 
California.  In  comparing  the  annual 
bullion  product  of  this  with  that  of  Other 
countries  the  above  consider.ition  should 
also  be  given  due  weight. 

Besides  our  output  of  bullion  we  pro- 
duce here  of  the  economic  minerals  and 
metals  values  to  the  amount  of  several 
millions  annually;  far  more  than  is  pro- 
duced by  any  one  of  our  neighbors  of 
pernaps  by  all  of  them  put  together. 

These  several  industries,  omitting  the 
less  important,  give  employment  to  some 
4000  men,  distributed  about  as  follows: 
Quicksilver,  1000;  borax,  300;  salt,  400; 
petroleum  and  natural  gas,  asphaltum, 
oOO;  coal,  250;  chromium  and  antimony, 

mills.  In  the  northern  countie*  the  Chi-  J  each  50?  slate>  marble  and  other  stone 
nese  cam- on  hydraulic  washing  in  a  few  quarnes'  6UO;  hm9'  PyPsum  and  tb-e 
places.  "In  some  cases  they  own  the  P^!tlc  clays»  8oda»  tin»  manganese,  etc., 
ground,  though  oftener  it  is  owned  by  the- 
whites,  being  worked  under  lease  or  on1 
shares.  The  enactment  of  the  Exclusion 
law  has  tended  to  draw  thia  class  ot  for- 
eigners away  from  the  mineral  districts, 
the  increased  demand  for  their  services 
elsewhere  insuring  the  most  ot  them  beU, 
ter  wages  than  they  can  earn  in  the  mines. 


ie«s  troublesome  to  take  their  census  than 
where  a  like  number  is  scattered  along 
tha  "dead"  and  the  '"live"  rivers,  the 
guiches  and  ravines  or  throughout  the 
hydraulic,  drift  and  quartz  mines  of  Cali- 
fornia. Dispersed  over  such  wide  area 
and  hid  away  in  the  (Jeep  gorges  and  can- 
yons or  toiling  in  dark  pits  and  tunnels,  a 
good  many  ot  these  miners  would  be 
missed  were  even  a  careful  enumeration 
of  them  undertaken. 

Of  the  entire  number  of  California 
miners  some  10,000  or  12,000  consist  of 
Chinese,  about  one- third  of  whom  are  em- 
ployed by  the  whites  on  wages,  the  bal- 
ance working  on  their  own  account  or  for 
companies  composed  of  their  own  coun- 
trymen. Very  few  of  this  race  engage  in 
vein  mining  on  their  own  account,  nor 
are  more  than  a  fe\v  of  them  so  employed 
by  the  whites,  as  they  have  a  great  aver- 
sion to  deep  underground  workings.  They 
ccnnue  themselves  mainly  to  the  various 
branches  of  placer  mining,  such  as  work- 
ing over  the  partially  exhausted  or  wholly 
abandoned  bars  and  gulches,  reworking 
tailings,  and  in  river-bed  operations,  the 
former  effected  by  hand -sluicing,  the 
rocker  also  being  "sometimes  employed, 
and  the  latter  mainly  by  means  of  wing- 
damming. 

The  Chinese  engage  in  but  little  drift 
mining,  never  in  a  large  way,  though 
some  of  them  are  employed  by  the  white 
drifters,  and  also  a  lew  about  the  qu  irtss 


1000. 


WHERE     GOLD     IS     FOUND. 


in  California  the  miners,  more  especially 
tbose  engaged  in  placer  operations,  riot 
only  are  sell-employers  to  a  much  greater 
extent  than  is  the  c;ise  elsewhere,  but 
their  laoors  are  here  largely  intermittent. 
Very  few  of  them,  except  those  eng  iged 
in  vein  or  drift  mining,  work  steadily' 
throughout  the  year.  The  river-bed  miner 


It  Exists    in    Practically  Every    County 

in  the  State. 

In  order  to  show  the  widespread  pres- 
ence of  gold  throughout  the  State  each 
county  Willie  taken  up  briefly  and  the 
leading  mines  referred  to.  It  will  be  seen 
that  with  one  or  two  minor  exceptions 
gold  exists  in  paying  quantities  in  every 
county  in  the  State,  from  San  Diego  oa 
the  south  to  giskiyou  on  the  north,  and 
from  Alpine  on  the  east  even  into  the 
sands  of  the  P  cific  ocean  on  the  west. 


r 


The    accompanying    statements   are    not  ,r-  . 

mere  hearsay  or  iale  rumor,  but  are  de-  soli-dated,  Amador,  Kennedy,  Summit, 
rived  from  the  report  of  experts  in  the  ^*>l*e>  Be.il  Wether,  Volunteer,  McKinney 
employ  of  the  State  Mining  Bureau,  and  *  Crannis,  Hardenburg,  Sargent,  Oneida, 
are  conservative  to  a  degree,  being  re-  |jJvm^u^x  Consolidated,  Gover,  Bunker 
liable  to  die  fullest  extent.  The  showing  iLill,  Kennedy,  Sutter  Creek,  Mammoth 
will  be  as  surprising  to  many  Caiilorniuns  and  many  others. 
us  it  undoubtedly  will  be  to  those  who  ar«  BUTTB. 

residents  of  other  Stales.  The  gold  mines   of  Butte  were  among 

ALPINE.  the  most  famous  in  those  early  days  that 

The  lower  middle  portion  of  this  county  have  now  become  only  a  tradition,  and 
abounds  with  gold  and  silver  bearing'  Billions  of  dollars  were  taken  from  her 
lodes,  a  majority  of  them  bein<*  of  regular  gravel  and  quartz  deposits.  While  the 
formation  and  large  dimensions.  Moat  of  Cessation  of  hydraulic  mining  shut  off 
the  ores,  however,  are  of  low  grade  und  a  Iar8e  Part  of  the  production  of  gold, 
more  or  less  base,  making  their  re  luction  nev«rtheless  much  continues  to  be  done, 
difficult  and  expensive.  The  facilities  m  an.d  at  .tue  present  time  every  kind  01 
the  way  of  woo^i,  wator,  etc.,  are  such,  minjng  la  carried  on  with  success, 
however,  that  with  proper  management^  .  ne  m°8t  extensive  river-turning  enter- 
and  the  use  of  tho  latest  improved  meth-  Pnse  over  undertaken  is  now  in  progress 
oils  there  is  no  reason  why  these  deposits  n,ear  Oroyille,  the  entire  flow  of  the 
should  not  be  profitably  exploited.  It  **•"*•*  river  having  been  lifted  from  its 
should  bo  mentioned,  by  tht?  way,  that  courae  D7  means  ot  a  dam  and  system  of 
the  first  copper  deposit  ever  found  in  Jjumes,  thus  laying  the  Bed  of  the  stream 
California  is  located  in  this  county,  Da™  for  washing. 

being       known        as          "Uncle        liillv      Tne   Big   Bend    tnnnel,   constructed  for 

Rogers'  "     copper    mine.     It   is    situated  draining   tha   bed  of  the  Feather  river,  is 

in     Hope    valley     in     the     northwestern  Pot  only  th.e  ]arSest  enterprise  of  the  kind 

,  part  ot  the  county,  and  its  l^wyery  ante-  lr   California,  but  the  largest  probably  ever 

undertaken  for  a  similar  purpose.  The 
operations  of  the  Spring  Valley  Hydraulic 
Company  at  Cherokee  in  this  county  are 
also  among  the  largest  now  carried  on  in 
the  State.  In  this  locality,  too,  was 
picked  up  a  majority  of  the  more  valuable 
diamonds  found  in  California.  In  Butte 
the  pliocene  river  system,  the  principal 
site  of  the  drift  mines,  meets  with  its 
greatest  development.  Of  drilt  gravel 
mines  the  Bay  State,  Eureka,  Magalia  Con- 
solidated, Oro  Fino,  Lncretia,  Aurora  and 
Indian  Spring  are  among  the  most  promi- 
nent. The  principal  quartz  mining  locali- 
ties are  Forbestown,  Wyandotte,  Cherokee, 
Brown's  valley,  Merrirnac,  Yankee  Hill, 
Inskip  and  Oregon  City.  There  are  eleven 
qunrtz  mills  in  the  county,  and  the  pres- 


dates  the  finding  of  the  Comstock  lode  by 
several  years.  There  tiro  several  districts 
in  which  much  work  has  been  done  in  the 
past,  including  the  Monitor,  Mogul,  Sil- 
ver Mountain,  Silver  King,  Hope  Vulley 
and  Blue  Lakes. 

AMADOB. 

This  county  stands  in  the  very  front 
rank  of  the  bullion  producing  sections  ot 
the  State.  It  is  crossed  bv  the  mother 
lode,  and  nlontr  that  notable  ledge  are 
some  twenty-five  quartz  mills  in  active 
operation,  with  upward  of  650  stamps  at 
work.  These  are  ail  included  within  a 
belt  about  hlteen  miles  in  leneth.  The 
mother  lode  between  Plymouth  and  the 
Mokelumne  river  is  covered  by  United 
States  patents.  Near  Plymouth  there  are 
claims  being  prospected.  Near  Drytown 
a  number  of  mines  have  formerly  been 
worked  more  or  less  which  are  now  idle, 
as  for  instance  the  Potosi,  Italian,  Sea- 
ton,  and  the  North  Gored;  near  Amador 
City,  the  King,  the  Little  Amador,  the 
South  Keystone,  Median  and  El  Dorado; 


ent   season   has   witnessed   a  decided  re 
vival  in   mining  operations.    The  quartz 
deposits  already  known  to  exist  afford  op- 
portunities   that     are     practically    inex- 
haustible. 

CALAVEKA8. 


The  very  name  of  this  county  brings  to 

Koutn  Keystone  lueaian  ana  1^1  ^oraao;  » mind  the  meraOrie3  of  the  old  mining 
near  Sutter  creek  (where  was  situated  the  d  but  if  one  fandes  for  raomenbt 
famous.  Hayward's  Eureka)  undeveloped  thafc  the  ld  deposits  of  Calaveras  are  ex- 
properties  are  numerous— the  Nortjj  hausted  he  is  sadly  mistaken.  Mining  ia 
Lincoln,  the  Occident,  the  Comet  ond  Btm  carried  on  here  in  D8arl  upu 
Waoash  and  Mechanics'  mine.  Just  south,  formStand  there  are  mine3  a/ Angels, 
of  the  Eureka -the  Summit  is  situated  ;  Mny,  Copperopolis,  Milton,  Moke- 
and  on  Kennedy  .flat  the  Clyde,  the  Vol-  L^  -H|n  Camoo  Seco,  Sheep  Ranch, 
unteerandihe  Pioneer  immediate  y  ad-  ^itaville,  West  Point,  Rich  Gulch 
joining  the  #ennedy  on  the  south,  and  lpougla8S  Flat  and  elsewhere  which  are 
partially  prospected  by  its  shaft  come  Lm&paying  handsomely.  The  Uiica 
the  Hoffman  A  Bright  properties;  the  mine  ^^  lg  ig  the  leading  quartz  dt- 

^y^^J1^*    B3?oli;»t£a   V^parHa-Sh  posit  of  the  county.      The   Stickles  at  the 
near  Middle   bar-connected   with    which  *  lace  ig  anotner  good   rain     and  8O 

isaHuntington   mill  in    operation;    the  , ^are  tn^   Smvth  and  McCreight  mines  in 
New  York  claims;   the  old   Hardenburg  the  Vicinity'ot  Angels.      Other  prominent   - 


mine  and  McKinney  properties  nnd  many 
others.  Among  the  bullion  producers  are 
the  Keystone  Consolidated,  South  Spring: 
Hill,  Talisman,  El  Dorado,  North  Star, 
Lincoln.  Pioneer,  Wildman,  Amador  Con- 


mines  are  the  Sheep  Ranch,  Esmeralda, 
tlex,  Torch  wood,  Blazing  Star  and  Water 
Lily,  Angels,  Quaker,  Buena  Vista,  Union, 
Plymouth  Rock,  Calaveraa,  etc.  There 
works  at  Angels  and 


is  stul 

carried  on  along  Smi^^^r  and  the  trib- 
utaries of  the  IvlamaiTj,  and  an  occasional 
deposit  of  quartz  has  been  found.  Just 
over  the  line  in  Oregon  from  Del  Norte 
are  large  gravel  d  posits  which  have  paid 


gravel  deposits  in  this  county  which 
would  pay  well  for  working,  while  there 
is  quartz  enough  to  keep  all  the  mills  in 
the  county  busy  for  a  century. 

COLUSA. 

Colusa,  though  a  great  wheat-growing  •handsomely  in   the   past,  and  which  ^are 
county,    contains    a    variety    of   mineral    known  to  bo  rich  in  gold, 
products,    the   more  important  of   which 
consist  of  eold,  copper,  cinnabar,  sulphur, 
coal,    petroleum,     bitumen,    natural    gas, 
clay  and  limestone.     There   are    also  sev- 
eral  mineral   springs  in  the  county,  some 
them  noted  ior  their  medicinal  proper- 


ties.    The  principal 
the  county  are   the 


ld  quartz  mines  i 


EL  DOHADO. 

This  is  the  fitting  name  of  tho  county 
where  the  discovery  was  made  which  lit- 
erally revolutionized  the  finances  of  the 
world.  It  was  at  Coloma  that  Marshall 
made  the  memorable  discovery  on  that, 

zanita,  located  on  Sulphur  creek  Along  ^"f^'T-6,  lh,a,0°W"  s^tand8  tho  nionu- 
Bear  creek  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the"!  I  *  ?  H  n  ^J  ornla  ijas  e™*ed  iu  com' 
minesmanv  of  the  gulches  have  afforded  .^moratioa  of  the  event  wruch  meant  so 
some  placer  diggings,  but  being  neither  much  to  ner-  It  must  not  be  supposed 
rich  nor  extensive  tne  amount  ot  gold  ob-  'hat  tne  mineral  wealth  of  this  section 
tained  from  them  has  not  been  large.  The  has  been  exhausted  simply  because  the 
Manzanita,  mine  is  located  on  Sulphur  halcyon  days  of  the  rocker  and  pan  have 
creek,  twenty-seven  miles  southwest  of  lon*  since,  Pas*ed  away-  . On  tho  cou- 
Williams,  a  town  on  tne  California  and  ^rar^  tne  development  ot  the  vast  quartz 
Oregon  railroad.  The  original  claim  lo-  deposits  has  scarcely  baen  commenced, 
cated  February  21,  1863,  is  2700  by  1000  and  ln  these  hllls  he  treasures  far 
feet.  The  country  rock  here  consists  of  surpassing  in  amount  all  that  have 
sedimentary  shales  and  a  sandstone  with:  >'et  beei\  wrenched  from  their  grasp, 
occasional  outbursts  of  eruptive  rock.  In  A  broad  beJt  ot  q^rtz  veins  ex- 
many  places  these  rocks  are  coated  with  a  tends  through  tne  county  which  has  been 
siliceous  sinter,  evidently  deposited  from  taPPed  here  atld  ihe™>  but  wljlcfa  »Tee' 
hot  siliceous  waters,  traces  of  which  in  sents  the  most  favorable  opportunities  for 
the  form  of  thermal  springs,  are  still  S^^^S^^JS^fi^I^tlS 


plainly  visible.  The  substance  not  only 
coats  the  rocks,  but  it  has  found  its  way 
into  all  their  cracks  and  crevices.  It  has, 
as  a  rule,  free  gold  associated  with  it  and! 
constitutes  the  auriferous  ore  of  the  dis- 
trict. The  gold  does  not  appear  to  per- 
meate the  quartz,  but  is  deposited  on  it  in 
the  form  of  an  incrustation.  This  is  the 
case  at  least  in  such  parts  of  the  mine  as 
contain  much 


gard   to   tne   gold   mines  shall  have  been 
There    exist    large    deposits   of 


revised. 


gravel  in  various  places    which    can    be 


doubtless  will  be  opened  again  before 
long.  Tho  mother  lodo  crosses  this 
county  from  north  to  south  a  distance  of 
twenty  miles.  After  entering  the  county 
and  proceeding  a  few  miles  north  it  makes 
a  rather  violent  deflection  to  the  east,  car- 


places  this  sinter  is  assoc  ated  a  so  w i  h  ry ing  it  into  the  neighborhood  of  Placer- 

cinnabar    and    bitumen,    which   latter  is  7llje'     A  l\iil°  farther  on  it  comes  back  to 

olten  in  such  quantitv  that  it  causes  ereat  lts   »ormal   co"r.s.e'  fwhjc{1,  lJhholAd9    l1.11  " 

loss  of  gold,  imparting  a  coating  to  the  r?j£ ?es  ^  ™jJtn°er^r  bound ^^f" the 

tion  of  the   mother  lode,    its  porphyritic 
appendages   included,   nearly   a   hundred 

Contra  Costa  county  is  known  chiefly  mining  claims,  on  all  of  whicn  more  or 
from  a  mineral  standpoint  as  the  center  less  exploratory  work  has  beeu  done,  many 
of  the  coal-  producing  region  of  California,  of  these  claims  having  been  equipped  with 


and  this  feature  of  her  resources  will  be 
found  dealt  with  elsewhere.  But  in  addi- 
tion gold  and  silver  have  both  been  found, 
though  not  in  any  Appreciable  quantities. 
Still  the  precious  meiais  are  known  to  ex- 
ist here,  and  doubtless  close  research 
would  develop  one  or  both  in  paying 
amounts. 

DEL    NORTE. 

This  county  was  the  scene  of  one  of  the 
famous  gold  rushes  in  the  early  period  of 
the  history  of  the  State.  The  streams  in 
the  interior  carry  considerable  gold-bear- 
ing gravel,  while  there  are  deposits  of 
black  sand  at  different  points  along  the 
coast  which  are  known  to  contain  much 
gold.  Some  cby  a  process  will  be  discov- 
ered for  working  these  sands  successfully, 


costly  plant  and  developed  into  largely 
productive  mines.  Among  the  leading 
properties  are  the  Josephine,  Oakland, 
Central,  El  Dorado,  Equ  itor,  Superior, 
Big  Sandy,  the  group  at  Placerville,  the 
Dalmatia,  Esperanza,  Ivanhoe,  Taylor, 
Bona  Torsa,  Zentgraft  and  others.  On 
the  Georgetown  divide  are  many  gravel 
and  quartz  deposits  which  will  repay 
working.  Much  of  the  ore  found  in  El 
Dorado  county  is  low  grade  and  many 
mines  were  opened  in  the  early  days 
which  were  abandoned  because  they  did 
not  come  up  to  the  exalted  ideas  of  those 
times.  Now  that  ores  can  be  forked  for 
less  than  a  dollar  a  ton,  as  is  actually 
being  done  at  present  in  El  Dorado  county, 
there  is  no  reason  except  lack  of  enterprise 
why  ihese  low-grade  deposits  should  not 
be  extensively  developed. 
FRESNO. 

From  the  earliest  history  of  the  State 
this  section  hns  been  known  to  be  rich  in 
mineral  wealth.  Placer  mining  was  begun 


about  the  yea  i'' 1850  in  the  San  J< 
river  and  its  tributaries,  auci  a  mining 
population  of  about  1500sprunj?  up  in  that 
vicinity.  Many  men  made  small  fortunes, 
while  the  degree  .of  success  of  others  was 
less.  One  of  the  claims  there  paid  its 
proprietor  $117,000.  There  were  also  sev- 
eral Chinese  companies  engaged  in  min- 
ing who  i'aied  very  well.  At  Fine  Gold 
creek  alone  there  were  at  one  time  in  the 
early  fil ties  500  people  mining.  The  pla- 
cers were  worked  lor  all  they  were  worth 
until  the  winter  of  1867-68.  when  the 
heavy  floods  swept  everything  away,  dis- 
couraging the  miners,  the  greater  number 
of  whom  sought  more  promising  and  newer 
fields.  The  advent  of  the  agriculturist 
auout  this  time  and  the  exhaustion  of  the 
old  placers  also  contributed  to  bring  about 
the  cessation  of  placer  mining.  There  are 
still  some  very  good  claims  there,  but 
they  have  never  been  worked  on  account 
of  the  difficulty  of  turning  the  water. 
Some  quartz  mining  was  done  early  in 
the  fillies.  The  quartz  mining  belt  is 
from  eight  to  ten  miles  in  width,  running 
parallel  with  the  Sierra  Nevada,  its  edge 
being  about  twenty-five  miles  from 
Fresno.  The  various  mining  districts 
are  Hildreth,  Auberry,  Mount  Raymond, 
Fresno  Flats,  Grub  Gulch,  Coarse  Gold, 
Fine  Gold,  North  Fork  and  the  Minarets. 
Many  fine  prospects  have  been  made, 
which  will  no  doubt  prove  valuable  prop- 
erties when  developed.  When  experi- 
enced mining  men  become  interested  and 
invest  capital — the  scarcity  of  which  up 
to  the  present  has  prevented  the  full  de- 
velopment of  the  mines — the  results  will 
be  most  gratiiying.  The  ores  extracted 
have  in  many  cases  assayed  very  hietily, 
as  much  as  $500  and  in  some  cases  eve'n 
$1000.  Of  course,  this  is  much  above  the 
average,  but  the  ore  is  of  a  high  grade 
generally.  The  capital  invested  in  the 
mines  in  this  county  amounts  to  fully 
$350,000,  while  the  number  of  men  ern- 
ployed  is  about  500.  Though  many  of  the 
mines  have  been  worked  quite  steadily, 
the  operations,  except  in  a  few  instanced, 
have  not  been  on  a  very  extensive  scale. 

UUMBOLDT. 

Humboldt  county  possesses  some  valu- 
able gold  mines,  notable  being  those  at 
what  is  known  as  Gold  Bluff,  where  there 
are  extensive  black  sand  deposits.  These 
deposits  created  much  excitement  some 
thirty-five  or  thirty-six  years  a^o.  They 
extend  from  Oregon  e'ight  miles  in  a 
southerly  direction.  Tlie  whole  line  of 
the  beach  was  worked  for  the  gold  the 
sand  contained.  This  deposit  of  black 
sand  contains  traces  of  platinum,  osmium 
— iridium  too  minute  to  have  any  com- 
mercial value,  but  with  sufficient  gold  to 
make  the  business  of  gathering  it  lucra- 
tive. Several  parties  engaged  in  this 
auriferous  harvest  have  retired  with  a 
competency.  From  the  date  of  discovery 
to  the  present  writing  these  beaches  have 
been  annually  worked,  success  depending, 
.  ^  — ™— — — — — — i— «^.^«™«^— -«— 

i 


more  or  less,  on.   the  occurrence   of  tierce 
gales  of  wiiul  in"  the  winter  time,  and    the 
consequently  heavy  surt  that  breaks  along 
the  shore.     These  nlack  sands,  as  they  are 
called,  come  from  the  disintegration  of  the 
bluffs    facing  the   ocoan,  and    which    rise 
nearly    vertical    to     a    height     of     from 
100     to    800    feet    above     the    se  i     level. 
The    bluff*    are    a     formation    of    aurif- 
'  erous   gravels   deposited    by  the  Klamath 
i  and  its  tributaries,  the  main  river  erapty- 
I  ing   into   the   sea   centuries    ago    at    this 
point.     The   bank  caves,  and  the  retreat- 
ing wives   carry  the  lighter  detritus  sea- 
ward, while   the  metallic   portion  remains 
on    the   beach   in   thin   sheets,  which  the 
miner   gathers   and   washes.     This  gold  is 
from   900  to   950   line,  and  sells  for  $19  50 
i  per    ounce.      It    is    estimated    that    over 
i$  1,000, 000     have     been     taken    from    this 
'source  with  comparatively  small  expense. 
Besides   these    be;ich    deposits    there   are 
some     fifteen     hydraulic    mines    on    the 
Kiamath   and   its   tributaries  which  have 
been  or  are  now  successfully  worked.    The 
i  inhibition  against  hydraulicking  doea  not 
'  apply  in  this  section,  hence  the  non-ces- 
sation of  the  industry. 

INYO. 

This  county  has  extensive  deposits  of 
gold,  silver  and  other  minerals,  and  in 
the  past  has  produced  a  large  amount  of 
bullion.  The  names  of  the  Panamint. 
Darwin  and  Cerro  Gordo  camp^  are  well 
known  as  having  at  one  time  been  among 
i  the  most  prominent  mining  localities  on 
the  coast.  The  remoteness  of  thes«  places 
and  their  difficulty  of  access  has  prevented 
rapid  development,  though  there  are  ex- 
tensive deposits  of  ore  which  will  repay 
working. 

The  miners  all  along  the  Inyo  range  for 
150  miles  north  either  work  in  their  own 
claims  and  sell  their  small  batches  of  as- 
sorted ores  or  work  on  tribute,  either  of 
which  secures  them  living  wages. 

The  Lookout  or  Darwin  district  adjoins 
the   Panamint  district  on  the  northwest 
and    takes  its   name  from  the   principal 
town   in  it,  situated  on  the  eastern  slope 
of  Lookout  mountain.     There  are   three 
smelters  in   this   district,  but  they  have 
not  been  run  for  several  years.     The  most 
largely  developed    and   productive  mines 
in    the  neighborhood  of    Darwin  are  the 
Defiance,      Independence,      Promontory, 
Sterling,  Pluto,  Christmas   Gilt   and    tho 
Lucky    Jim,     the     last      three    included 
in   the   Mackenzie  group,  being   situated 
four     miles    north    of     the    towjn.  _JThe 
nill  was*erected  on  the  spot,  but,  although 
a  tunnel  1200  feet  long  was  run    into  the 
hill    in   hope   of  striking   the  ledge  from 
which    the    bowlder    came,    nothing    re- 
munerative    was     developed.      Various 
ttempts  have  been  made  to  discover  tne 
source  of  the   placer  gold,  but  heretofore 
>rospecting  has  met  with   but  litile   suc- 
sess   in   the  county,    the    greit    obstacle 
oeing  the  depth  of  soil   covering  the  rock 
brmation  and  tlie  dense  growth  it  main- 
tains,   both  of  which  prove   a  hindrance 
to  the  prospector  and  geological  observer, 
yet  some  few  lodges  have  ba»n  nn« 


taken   up,    but  little   of  much   value  nas 

been    developed.      Both    the     mill     and 

smelter  that  were  put  up  several  years 

ago — the  one  near  the  town,  the  other  at 

Swansea — have  been  idle  tor  several  vears; 

i  the  great  cost  of  fuel  and  tho   opportunity 

|  of  shipping  the  ores   by  railroad    causing 

their  destruction. 

Independence,  the  county  seat  of  Inyo, 
is  the  center  of  a  good  many  mines,  lying 
in  almost  every  direction  around  it,  some 
of  them  being  out  of  the  limits  of  any  or- 
ganized district.  Conspicuous  among  this 
;  class  is  the  Brown  Monster,  located  six 
miles  south  of  Independence  station,  on 
the  Carson  and  Colorado  railroad.  The 
mine  is  connected  with  the  railroad  by  a 
tramway,  also  the  mill,  standing  on  the 
bank  of  Owens  river.  This  mill  carries 
thirty  stamps  and  haa  a  crushing  capa- 
city of  forty-five  tons  of  gold  ore  per  day. 

KEEN. 

Among  the  many  sources  of  wealth  of 
which  Kern  county  boasts  and  which  is 
bringing  and  has  brought  hundreds  of 
thrifty  emigrants  within  its  borders  to 
live,  that  furnished  by  its  mineral  de- 
posits has  been,  perhaps,  most  neglected, 
by  those  who  have  written  most  of  this 
section,  at  ail  events,  in  1854  gold  was 
first  discovered  in  Kern  county  by  a 
party  of  emigrants  while  camping  in  a 
gulch  in  the  Greenhorn  mountains.  There 
was  immediately  a  rush  of  prospectors  to 
this  country,  and  the  Kern  river  excite- 
ment became  as  noted  as  that  of  Fraser 
river  or  Whi'e  Pine. 

In  April  of  the  same  year  Captain 
Maitby  discovered  the  first  quartz  vein 
near  what  is  new  called  the  Hot  Spring 
valley.  He  erected  a  quartz  mill  and 
operated  very  successfully  for  two  years. 
In  the  meantime  the  bar*  along  Kern 
river  were  extensively  worked  for  placer 
gold,  with  profitable  results. 

In  1855,  in  a  cove  nestling  at  the  foot  of 
the  Greenhorn  mountains,  Richard  Keys 
and  Jonathan  Crandall  discovered  what 
is  called  the  Keys  mine.  It  proved  a  rich 
strike,  the  quartz  yielding  about  $300  per 
ton  in  gold.  It  is  estimated  that  some 
$2,000,000  in  profits  were  extracted  from 
the  group  of  mines. 

In  1859  Lovely  Rogers  and  Joseph  Cald- 
well  found  the  ;'Cove"  mines  near  the 
present  site  of  Kern ville,  consisting  of  the 
mines  now  known  as  the  Lady  Bell,  Jeff 
Davis  and  Beauregard,  all  afterward 
called  the  Summer  mines,  and  extensively 
worked  by  Senator  John  P.  Jones  nnd 
others.  Millions  in  money  were  taken  out 
i  of  these  mines. 

Iti  1862  the  rich  mines  of  Havilah  were 
discovered,  and  for  a  season  there  was  a 
snlendid  output.  What  was  known  as  the 
MoKeadney  group  of  mines  yielded  thou- 
sands of  tons  of  quartz  paying  from  $200 
to  $300  per  ton. 

Tho  mines  in  operation  at  present  in 
Kern  county  are  as  follows:  Sinter  <fc 
McKay's  group  in  the  Agua  Caliente  re- 
gion yielding  $60  and  upward  per  ton; 
John's  mine  at  Agua  Caliente;  Mann's 
mines,  which  always  produce  rich  ore;  D.  ij 


Appiegate  and  others  in  Kelsoe  valley 
and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  noted  Si.  John's 
mines;  W.  J.  Graham,  W.  Menzei,  the 
Shipsey  Brothers  and  others  in  the  Hayes 
valley;  the  Robinson  mine,  producing 
fr  >m"$70  to  $100  in  gold  per  ton ;  the  Mel- 
villa  group  of  mines  and  the  original 
Mammoth  mino. 

Along  upper  Kern  river  rich  specimens 
of  float  quartz  havu  been    discovered  from 
time  to  time,  and  in  that  region  there  is  a 
'fine  field  for  prospectors.  * 

Thtitpirtof  the  -Moiare  desert  which 
i  lies  in  Kern  county  has  not  yet  been  care- 
fully prospected,  yet  thera  exists  possibil- 
ity tliere  of  another  Calico  district,  es- 
pecially in  the  vicinity  of  Red  Rock  can- 
yon. 

In  general  it  may  be  said  that  the  gold 
mining  interests  of  Kern  county  have 
languished  for  some  years,  but  there  are 
at  present  signs  of  renewed  life,  and  there 
seem,s  to  be  no  reason  why  this  industry 
should  not  yield  a  golden  harvest. 

LAKE. 

Lake  county  contains  a  great  rariaty  of 
minerals,  gold,  siver,  copper,  borax,  sul- 
phur, asbestos  and  cinnabar  counting 
among  the  mineral  resources.  In  Para- 
dise valley,  about  five  miles  from  the  sul- 
phur banks,  a  shaft  has  been  sunk  to  a 
depth  of  sixty  feet  on  a  ledge  of  quartzite. 
The  ore,  which  is  much  copper  stained, 
carries  considerable  pyrites,  and  assays 
from  $3  to  $9  in  gold  a  ton,  with  a  small 
percentage  of  silver.  Gold-bearing  quartz 
has  been  observed  in  tho  vicinity  of  Mount 
St.  Helena,  also  near  the  Bradford  quick- 
silver mine,  and  at  a  point  between  An- 
derson springs  and  the  Geysers.  The  crop- 
pings  of  these  quartz  veins  contain  a 
s  nut  Li  amount  of  silver.  One  mile  east  of 
Bradford  much  copper  float  is  to  be  seen 
and  near  Harbin  springs  a  shaft  h#s  been 
sunk  to  a  depth  of  sixty  feet  in  a  cuprif- 
erous vein,  but  tho  ore  is  of  too  low  a 
grade  to  warrant  further  sinking. 

LASSEN. 

Lassen  county,  bordering  on  one  of  the 
best  mining  counties  of  California,  being 
separated  from  Plumas  county  by  a  spur 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  hns  so  fur  devel- 
oped but  littlo  mineral  wealth,  a  few 
cliims  having  been  prospected  on  Dia- 
mond mountain,  near  Susanviile,  the 
county  seat,  that  n-ive  yielded  some  gold. 
Veins  of  silver  and  gold  ores  have  also 
been  found  on  the  southwest  side  of  Eagle 
lake,  but  mining  a3  a  regular  business  has 
only  been  prosecuted  in  the  extreme  north 
of  the  county,  sixty  miles  north  of  Susan- 
viile and  nine  miles  from  the  Modoc 
county  line,  in  what  Is  known  as  the  Hay- 
den  Hill  Mining  District.  This  hill, 
named  after  one  of  the  first  locators,  who 
is  buried  there,  is  one  of  the  highest 
points  of  a  spur  running  out  on  the  East- 
ern slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada;  its  alci- 
tude  is  given  as  7500  feet.  The  mines 
were  discovered  nearly  twenty  years  ago, 
since  which  time  they'have  been  more  or 
less  continuously  worked,  yielding  to  the 
world's  gold  supply  a  little  over  $1,000,000. 


wusnmg  or   che  sea, 
tically  inexhautibie. 

ATEO. 

.is  county,  aa  far  as 
vn,  consists  of  gold, 
al  quicksilver,  lime 
Of  these  petroleum 
are  at  present  alone 
al  account. 


wheat;  there  was  no  fine  gold.  The  gold 
was  worth  $18  per  ounce.  Parties  have 
mined  on  the  creek  for  five  years,  and  it 
is  stated  that  over  $28,000  worth  of  gold 
has  been  shipped  through  Wells,  Fargo  & 
Co.  at  Santa  Cruz.  In  early  days 
a  bowlder,  the  size  of  which  was  estimated 
at  some  sixteen  cubic  feot,  was  discovered 
in  Gold  Gulch,  near  Felton,  which,  when 


Another  rnina  which  has  attracted  c 
siderable  attention  is  the  tellurium  dep 
discovered  a  few  years  ago  some  tt 
miles  from  Redding  in  a  prulc'h  thai 
tributary  to  the  Sacramento  river.  1 
mine  was  discovered  by  Peter  Sche 
who  was  led  to  search  for  a  quartz  le 
because  of  the  rich  placors  that  had  b 
found  in  the  vicinity.  The  first  shot 


I  into  thft  ledga  whan  t>.  WR^  nn<v»r«r*d 


been  discovered  in  I  millad.     VJA!HA^    ffOTT.«    £33  000. 


FROM!    THIO 


TO    THI 





LOS  ANGELES.  [  eral  producing  county,  yet  it  unqnestion- 

The  mineral  and   metallic   productions  |  ably  contains  deposits  that  will  somo  day 

prove  of  value.     On 


of  the  county  include  gold,  silver,  copper, 
asphaltura,  petroleum,  graphite,  iron, 
limestone,  gypsum,  bonite  of  lime,  mag- 
nesia, kaolin,  borax,  alum,  salt,  building 
stones  such  as  granite,  sandstone,  marble, 
etc.  In  entering  Los  Angeles  county  by 
railroad  from  the  north,  we  have  o;i  the 
east  side  the  Mojave  desert,  an  arid  scope 
of  country  covering  between  fifteen  and 


the    ocean    side    ot 

Tomales  Point  occurs  a  deposit  of  aurifer- 
ous black  sand.  It  can  be  reached  only  at 
low  tide  and  has  not  proved  rich  enough 
to  warrant  continuous  working.  Besides, 
the  supply  is  uncertain,  being  dependent 
on  the  winds,  the  surf  and  the  tides.  A 
little  to  the  east  of  Tomales  some  loca- 
tions have  been  made  on  a  quartz  ledge 


twenty  townships  in  the  northeastern  part     carrying  gold.     On  the   westerly  slope  of 


of  the  county.     This   desert   country  has 
been  prospected  over  to  some   extent   and 
reports  are  current  of  the  presence  of  rich 
base  silver  ores  and  also  copper;    further, 
deposits  of  clay   and   gypsum   have    baen 
found  a  few  miles  back  of  Alpine,  _  one  of 
the  stations  on  the  Southern  Pacific  R.ui- 
ro  d.       The   prospecting  and   working  of 
these  metalliferous  veins   is   accompanied 
with  so  much  hardship   and   expense,    on 
account  of  the  scarcity  of  wood  and  water 
i.  and  teed,  that  she  mines  have  never    been 
:  developed  sufficiently  to  permit  of  any  de- 
cided opinion    being- formed    as   to  their 
'  true  value. 

The  gold  district  of  Los  Angeles  county 
!  is    Acton,    located    about   titty-five   miles 
;  from    Los   Angeles,    on    the    line   of    the 
I  Southern    Pacific    Railroad.     There     are 
several    producing    gold    mines     in    this 
camp,  the  most  prominent   of  which    are 
the  Red  Rover  and  the  New  York  mines. 
On  Mount  Gieason,  eight   miles    south- 
west of  Acton,  some  very   promising  gold 
prospects   are   being  developed   and   ma- 
chinery put  in    to    thoroughly   test  the 
property. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Newhall  are  placers 
that  have  been  worked  since  the  first  dis- 
coverr  of  gold  here  ten  years  or  more  be-. 
fore  Marshall's  famous  find  at  Colnsa. 
Among  these  are  the  San  Feliciana  dig- 
gings, which  are  situated  at  an  elevation 
of  2100  feet,  between  Castaca  diggings  and 
Pirn  creek,  twelve  mile  northwest  of 
Newhall,  on  the  Southern  tetfci  fie  raMroad. 
This  deposit  of  gravel,  '-lor  an  area  of 
eight  by  four  miles  in  extent,  is  supposed 
to  average  fifteen  feet  in  depth,  and  is  cut 
through  by  gulches  and  canyons.  Eacn 
canyon  throughout  this  area  has  been 
more  or  less  worked  for  the  last  ten 
years. 

During  the  period  from  1810  to  1840 
Joso  Bermudes  and  Francisco  Lopez 
superintended  the  .Mission  Indians  in 
working  these  gravel  deposits.  In  1842. 
rinding  that  these  deposits,  though 
worked  in  a  crude  manner,  paid  exceed- 
ingly well,  the  Mexican  Government  was 
petitioned  to  consider  the  territory  be- 
tween Pirn  creek  and  the  Soledad  Canyon, 
and  extending  west  to  the  Moj  ive  desert, 
mineral  land,  and  that  no  grant  be  ex- 
tended taking  in  that  territory.  This  peti- 
tion was  granted  by  the  Government. 
The  most  extensive"  mining  operations 
carried  on  in  this  belt  of  gravel  were  in 
1854,  when  Francisco  Garcia  took  out  of 
the  San  Feliciaua  gulch  in  one  season 
$05,000  in  gold. 

MAKIN. 

This  has  never  been  regarded  as  a  min- 


Tamalpais  some  silver  prospects  have 
been  found,  but  the  find  has  not  been  fol- 
lowed up  by  any  developments. 

MARIP03A. 

Gold  mining  has  from  the  first  been  in 
this  county  its  most  prominent  industry. 
The  placer  diggings,  though  not  so  exten- 
sive as  in  some  other  parts  of  the  State, 
being  rich  and  shallow  and  therefore 
easily  worked,  paid  large  wages  in  pioneer 
times.  These  surface  deposits  becoming 
speedily  depleted,  early  recourse  was  had 
here  to  quartz  mining,  this  industry  hav- 
ing been  inaugurated  on  the  Fremont  es- 
tate in  1851.  In  Mariposa  that  remark- 
able auriferous  belt  known  as  the  mother 
lode  of  California  has  its  southerly  begin- 
ning, it  being  here  displayed  in  great 
power.  This  lode,  which  strikes  nearly 
north  and  south,  dips  to  the  eastward  at 
an  angle  varying  from  45  degrees  to  70  de- 
grees. The  walls  are  uniform;  the  eastern 
hanging-wall  is  greenstone  and  the  west- 
ern foot-wall  is  slate.  It  is  to  be  regretted 
that  the  mines  belonging  to  the  Fremont 
estate  are  not  being  w  rked  at  present,  as 
they  have  not  been  for  many  years  past, 
covering  as  they  do  a  large  portion  of  the 
mineral  section  of  the  county.  This  inac- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  owners  of  the  es- 
tate has  h:ul  a  depressing  effect  on  the 
general  business  of  the  county. 

Mining  men  have  too  generally  been 
led  into  the  error  of  supposing  that  as  the 
Mariposa  grant  was  for  many  years  in- 
volved in  ruinous  litigation  all  the  mining 
capabilities  of  Mariposa  county  were 
thereby  necessarily  in  a  state  of  Hopeless 
entanglement.  The  fact  is  that  tne  grant 
only  covers  comparatively  a  small  portion 
of  the  really  rich  mining  territory  of  Mari- 
posa  county,  and  there  are  outside  of  its 
limits  plenty  of  valuable  opportunities 
for  those  who  are  seeking  mining  ven- 
tures. 

The  whole  of  the  grant  is  intersected  bv 
a  network  of  veins,  but  very  few  of  which 
have  been  opened  up  to  the  present  time. 
The  region  in  which  the  estate  lies  was 
noted  in  an  early  day  for  the  extent  and 
richness  of  its  placer  mines,  which  still 
yield  good  returns  when  worked  during 
the  rainy  season. 

The  general  course  of  the  veins    is   from 
northeast  to  south  west,  extending  through 
the  property  in  its   greatest   length.     The 
most   extensive    explorations    have    been 
made  on  the  Princeton,  situated  near   the 
center  of  the  estate,  and    which   has   been 
traced  for  three  miles  and  a  quarter,    and  , 
the  Josephine  and  Pine  Tree,    situated   in 
the  northern  extremity,  near  the    Merced  , 
river,  and  which  seem  to  be  prongs  of  the  i 


1  same  vein. 

These    are 
mother 


all  situa  i  on  the  great 
lode,  which  ians  through  the 
estate  for  a  distance  of  ten  miles,  and  the 
letter  veins  crop  out  boldly  on  the  sides  of 
Mount  Bullion,  which  forms  a  part  of  the 
eastern  boundary  of  the  property.  Some 
other  veioa,  as  the  Maripo^a  and  the  New 
Britain,  situated  near  the  county  seat, 
Muripoaa,  and  others,  have  been  opened 
to  some  extent. 

The  Princeton  has  a  record  of  yielding 
$3,000,000  from  workings  down  to  500  feet 
in  depth.  Its  ores  and  general  features 
are  very  similar  to  those  of  the  mother 
lode  as  seen  in  Am -id  or  county  mines. 
MENDOCINO. 

Mondocino  has  game  1  no  distinction  as 
a  mining  county,  yet   mineral    resources 
aro  not   wanting   wituin    her    boundaries. 
B;>th  lode  and  placer  auriferous   deposits 
have  been  discovered   here    a^  d.i.Q'erent 
times   and    in   various    placet.     A  few  of 
these  deposits  have  been  worked  in  a  lim- 
ited way.     Copper  ore,  some  of  it  promis- 
ing, has  been  found  in  Coyote,  Potter  and 
Walker  valleys.     Exudution  of  petroleum 
has  also  been  noticed    in  several    parts  of 
the  county.     At    Panta  Arenas    this  sub- 
stance trickles  from  a  sanJy  shale  on   the 
seashore.     During  the   oil   excitement   in 
California  in  18G5  quite  u   sum    of    money 
was  expended    at   this    place   to   obtain  a 
more  ample  supply   fr  >m    the  shale,    but 
without    success.     Sulphur   and    salt   are 
met  with  in  quantity,  and  mineral  springs, 
.hot  and  cold,  issue  trom  the  earth. 

MERCED. 

Although  Merced  is  one  of  the  foremost 
grain,  wool  and  fruit  growing  counties  in 
the  State,  it  is  not  entirely  destitute  of 
mineral  wealth.  There  was  afe  one  time 
in  the  northeastern  corner  01  the  county 
a  limited  extent  of  plarer  diggings,  and 
both  quicksilver  and  antimony  are  found 
in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  McLeod 
mining  d. strict,  which  extends  from  San 
Benito  into  the  southwestern  corner  of 
Merced  county.  Quicksilver  is  both 
mined  and  reduced  in  that  district. 

Gold  can  be  found  in  the  sands  of  all 
the  streams  upon  the  eastern  side  of  the 
county,  and  in  some  places  mining  is  still 
carried  on  where  the  Merced  river  leaves 
the  foothills  throughout  a  great  portion 
of  the  year,  usually  from  August  until  the 
miners  are  driven  out  by  the  high  water. 
Both  white  men  and  Chinese,  frequently 
to  the  numoer  of  about  100,  engage  in 
this  work,  and .  it  is  said  they  make  good 
wages. 

There  is  a  bluff  on  the  eastern  boundary 
of  the  county,  about  half  a  mile  north 
from  the  Merced  river,  which  pays  well 
during  the  wettest  portion  of  the  year, 
when  water  can  be  brought  to  it.  It  is 
owned  by  private  parties,  who  exact  a 
royalty  from  the  miners,  who,  when 
working  with  rockers,  are  said  to  fre- 
quently make  as  high  as  $10  per  day. 
Rich  gravel  is  also  said  to  have  been  dis- 
covered in  some  old  water  courses  in  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  county,  but  lack 
of  water  has  hitherto  prevented  work  be- 
ing done  thereon.  There  has  also  been 
some  gold-washing  on  the  western  side  of 


the  county  on  tne  rancno  ae  los  Uarrisa- 
litos.  about  twenty  railea  southwest  from 
Los  Banos, 

MODOC. 

While  Modoc  may  and,  no  doubt,  does 
contain  mineral  deposits  of  many  kinds 
and  of  much  importance,  none  of  ascer- 
tained value  has  yet  been  discovered. 
Many  years  ago  a  number  of  silver-bear- 
ing lodes  were  located  in  the  mountains 
near  Surprise  valley,  and  some  prospect- 
;  ing  work  done.  On  one  of  the  locations 
ia  quartz  mill  was  erected,  but  owing  to 
the  remoteness  of  the  place,  and,  in  some 
measure,  to  Indian  hostilities,  the  work  of 
development  was  tardy,  and,  when  the 
mill  was  destroyed  by  lire,  it  was  aban- 
doned. The  amount  of  bullion  obtained 
from  the  working  was  inconsiderable,  so 
the-  extent  and  value  of  existing  deposits 
are  left,  as  yet,  undetermined.  The  set- 
tlers in  the  county  have  turned  their  at- 
tention chiefly  to  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing; mining  is  nearly  altogether  neg- 
lected. In  Lassen  county,  just  over  the 
southern  boundary  of  Modoc,  quartz 
mines  are  being  worked.  Modoc' s  min- 
eral wealth  is  yet  lying  dormant,  await- 
ing the  awakening  hour  of  enterprise. 

MONO. 

It  is  now  about  eight  years  since  the  ' 
business  of  mining  for  the  precious  metals 
at  Bodie,  the  principal  camp  in  Mono,  be- 
gan to  decline.  H  iving  taken  an  unpro- 
pitious  turn,  this  industry  tell  off  year  by 
year,  until  at  last  nearly  every  stamp  in 
the  district  was  hung  up;  exploratory 
work  greatly  abated,  and  bullion  pro- 
duction almost  wholly  extinguished;  re- 
sults due  to  the  exhaustion  of  the  pay 
ore  in  the  more  largely  producing  mines 
and  the  failure  to  iind  other  deposits  of 
this  kind,  either  in  these  mines  or  else- 
where in  the  district. 

For  a  number  of  years  preceding  this 
break  in  her  fortunes   the  town   of  Bodie 
1  had   been   exceedingly    prosperous.     For 
this  there  was  a  double  reason.     The    out- 
;  put  of  bullion   had    been  large,  while  im- 
;  mense   sums   of  money,    mostly  collected 
1  by   assessments,    had   been    expended    in  , 
exploratory  work;  active   prospecting   on  i 
1  not  less   than   thirty  different  claims,  all 
I  equipped     with    steam    noisting    works, 
having    been    kept    up    throughout    this 
period.     The    bullion    product     of    these 
mines   during   the   time   they  were  in  bo- 
nanza   some  six  or  seven  years,  amounted 
to   nearly  $20,000,000.     The   yield -of    the 
Stindard  and  the  Bodie  Consolidated  from 
1877  to  1884,  inclusive,   amounted    to   $10,- 
000,000    and    $4,000,000    respectively,    the 
bullion  of  the  former  consist-ing  of  86  per 
cent  of  gold,  14  per  cent  of  silver;  of  the 
latter,  68  per  cent  of  gold  and  32  per  cent 
of  silver.     From  such  large  products  made 
in  this  one  locality  only  eight    years    ago, 
the    total   annual   output   of    the    bulli 
has  dwindled  to  less  than   half  a   million 
dollars  for  the  entire  county. 

Considerable   worK,    however,    is   being 
.  done   in    the   Blind  Spring,  Montgomery, 
i  White   Peak,    Indian    and  other  districts. 
I  This  is  all  on  a  small   scale,  but   ore  aver- 
aging $150  a  ton  in  silver  is  found.     In  the 
Lahe,    Homer    and    Tioza    districts     are 
mines  upon    which  work  is  being  done. 


here  are  external   gravel  deposits  which  t 

have    been    successfully    worked   in   the  claims  of  this  kind   were   taken   up   ami 
past  and  whicn  would  unquestionably  re-  much  work  done  upon  them  from  fifteen" 
pay  systematic  development.  to    twenty    years    ago.     As  the    develop- 

ments ma.de  proved  disappointing,  opera- 

„,,  .  .  tions  gradually  ceased,  the  most  of  these 
The  existence  of  gold  and  silver  in  Mon-i  claim3g  having  afterward  been  virtually 
terey  county  has  been  known  from  the!  Abandoned.  Although  work  there  has 
earliest  settlement  of  the  country.  The  dur?ng  the  past  year  or  two  been 
principal  locality  where  gold  has  been  practically  resumed,  the  only  mine 
found  is  in  the  Los  Burros  mining  dis-.  that  ,--  -i *„„„•  J, 


Wet  in  the  southern    end    of   the'Santa 


at  present  producing    bullion  is 
isade,   owned  by  Messrs.  Grigsby 

,    ««a    leages    or    aurnerous    &  Johnson.     This  property,  which  corn- 
quartz  are  said  to  have  been .found  in  the    priseg  four  ciaims,  each  1500x600  feet,  is 
Cholame  valley,  also  near  Cholore  peak  in  ,  focated  on  one  of  the  southern  spurs  of 
£K    T      Vang<V  *.  '  Mount  St.  Helena,   near  the  foot  of  the 

The  Los  Burros  district,  which  covers  a  grade  ieadmg  from  the  town  of  Calistoga 
wide  are.i  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  *  fnto  Lake  county.  A  well-built  wagon 
Santa  Lucia .range, ,  was  organized  m  1876.  -  road  connects  the  town  with  Calistoga, 
Prior  to  1887  no  mineral  veins  of  import-  lying  ftbout  two  and  a  half  miie9  to  the 
ance  had  been  discovered,  the  prospectors  sout^  Two  veln3  have  been  developed 
principally  confining  their  attention  to 
quicksilver  and  placer  workings.  Al 


though    several 
discovered, 


here,  one    running     nearly     north     and 
.    --  .  south,  the  other  lying  east  of  this  rein, 

quicksilver  cbums    were  having  a  trend  more  to  the  wesf. 
ttle    was    done  toward      Gk>ki-bearing  quartz  veins  crop  out  at 


their    development.     Placer  mining  was    manv  place9  on  Tviount  St.   Helena.    Al- 
carried    on     intermitting    for    several   thou-glfa  good  deal  of   prospecting  has 
years.     At  one  time  over  100  Chinese  were  been  done    on    these    veins,    nothing    of 
engaged  in  go  d  washing  in  the   vicinity:.lar  6  yalue  haa  ever  beerx  developed, 
of  jolon,  it  being  supposed   that   the  land 

in   that    neighborhood    was   Government:  NEVADA. 

territory.  It  proved,  however,  to  belong  Nevada  is  one  of  the  imperial  mining 
to  the  Milpitas  «rant,  and  the  owners i  counties  of  California,  contesting  with, 
compelled  the  Chinamen  to  discontinue  Amador  the  honor  of  being  the  largest 
their  work.  Gold  washing  was  afterward  bullion-producing  county  in  the  State. 
carried  on  further  west  in  the  ravines  and  The  annual  output  of  gold,'  amounting 
gulches  of  the  Santa  Lucia  r^nge.  The}  now  to  nearly  $3,000,000  for  each  county, 
gold  was  principally  coarse  gold  nuggets,  would  have  been  much  larger  but  for  the 
some  of  the  value  of  $5  being  occasionally)  suppression  of  hydraulic  mining.  The 
found.  bullion  product  of  Nevada  has  suffered 

In  1887  W.  D.  Cruikshank  was  prospect-  ^  the  largest    curtailment  from  this  cause, 
ing    in    Alder   creek,    and    discovered    a.  Every  form  of  gold  mining  elsewhere  pur- 
"blindlead"  from  two  to  four  inches  wide,^  sued  is  represented  in  this  county,  grav 
containing    free   gold.      He    commenced   washing  by  the  hydraulic  process   aloi 
sinking  upon  it,  and  the  ledge  widened  out^  excepted;    this,    after    reacmnK    here  i 


as  he  went  down.  He  then  crushed  about 
twenty  pounds  in  a  hand  mortar,  and 
washed  out  $18  worth  of  gold.  He  con- 
tinued sinking,  and  put  up  a  horse  ar- 
rastra.  This  he  used  for  about  four" 
months,  during  which  time  he  realized' 
sufficient  to  erect  a  three-stamp  mill  and 
a  two- horse-power  engine.  Ho  ran  this 
mill  from  November,  1887,  to  the  first  of 
June,  1888,  when  a  failure  of  the  water 
supply,  caused  by  draining  the  upper 
workings  of  the  mine,  compelled  a  re- 
moval of  the  mill,  and  a  consequent  tem- 
porary suspension  of  milling  operations. 
Further  developments  of  Mr.  Cruikanank's 


mine,  which  is  called  the  Last  Chance, 
have  brought  to  light  five  distinct  leads, 
each  showing  well  defined  quartz  veins, 
three  of  which  have  been  found  of  suffi- 
cient importance  to  work. 

KAFA. 

While  Napa  is  distinguished  as  A  fruit, 
grain  and  vine-growing  county,  it  pos* 
sesves  also  a  variety  of  mineral  products, 
of  which  gold,  silver,  mercury,  iron, 
chromium  and  manganese  are  the  prin- 
cipal. 

The  silver-bearing  veins  in  this  county 


greatest  expansion,  having  been  prohi 
ited  by  the  courts.  In  Nevada  county, 
Ca!.,  gold  quartz  mining  had  its 
origin,  the  business  having  begun 
at  Grass  Valley  as  early  as  1850, 
in  which  year  the  first  quartz  mill 
in  the  "  State  was  erected.  In 
Nevada,  also,  auriferous  gravel  washing 
by  the  hydraulic  method  was  invented 
and  first  practiced,  the  process  having  att- 
erward  in  this  county  seen  its  most  ex- 
tensive .'.pplication.  Here  are  found  the 
longest  and  most  expensive  water  ditches 
and  the  most  capacious  reservoirs,  con- 
structed in  this  or,  perhaps,  in  any  other 


country.  The  record  made  by  some  of 
the  quartz  mines  of  this  county  is  yery 
remarkable,  both  as  regards  large,  long- 
continued  and  steady  production.  The 
ores  here  are  for  the  most  part  of  good 
grade  and  free  milling,  carrying  usually 
not  over  2  per  cent  of  sulphurets.  The 
concentrates  yield  on  an  average  about 
$100  per  ton.  The  ore  is  chiefly  gold-  bear- 
ing quartz,  while  the  veins  are  not  apt  to 
be  larse,  ranging  generally  from  two  to 
three  feet  in  thickness. 

In   this  district  the  usual  vicissitudes 

are  mostly  confined" to  the  lower  slopes  of  '  haveu  accompanied     quartz    mining       A 
\f«r,r>r  Rf    Tioio™    ~h«™   o    »!.«.*  ^o«~  number  of  mines  have  yielded  largely  in 


Mount  St.  Helena,  where  a  great  many  n          iro1,™1 

*    treasure.     There    have    also    been    many 


failures,  but  they  were  owing  more  tq  the        Vi.,oe  the  cessation  01  nydra"hc 
want  of  capital  or   unskilliulness  in  man-    several  attempts  hava  b^er.  made 
ageruent,    as    is   shown  by    the  fact   that  ,  tiic  bottom  gravel  by  drifting,  oat  in  most 
mines  that  failed   under  one  management    cases  it  was  iound  to  be  of   too  low   graae 

-    to  pay  for  the  handling  by  the  drifting 


process. 


ORANGE. 


have  yielded  profitably    under  another  by 
the  use  of  improved  and    better  methods. 

It  may  bo   stated  that    there  has   never  

been  a  time  since  quartz  mining  began  inij  Orange  county  is  well  supplied  with 
the  Grass  Valley  district,  lorty  years  ago,  :  valuable  minerals.  There  are  some  ap- 
but  that  one  or  more  quartz  mines  have(.  parently  extensive  silver  deposits  in  the 
been  worked  at  a  profit,  while  a  like  state-  santa  Ana  range,  and  both  gold  and  silver 
ment  cannot  be  made  for  any  other  mm-  <-in  some  other  portions.  Whac  is  known 
ing  district  on  the  Pacific  coast  From  as  the  Pilligrin  or  Alma  "dig<*in"s"  are 
the  best  obtainable  data  it ,  is  estimated  On  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Santiago 
that  the  quartz  mines i  of  Grass  .Valley  creek;  they  crop  out  on  one  side  of  the 
have  produced  oVer  $100,000,00<  in  gold  I  mountain,  the  upper  portion  composed  of 
bullion.  This  is  sufficient  to  indicate  the  .surface  pockets  and  chimneys,  with  indi- 
value  and  permanence  of  the  quartz  lodei  cations  of  a  fissure  vein  below.  The  ele- 
ct1 tho  district  and  its  mining  prospects  ;vation  here  is  about  2300  feet.  Several 
for  the  future.  "tunnels  have  been  excavated  and  much 

Quartz  mining  has  not  been  so  ex- )goo(a  ore  has  been  extracted.  On  the  op- 
teusiyely  conducted  in  the  Nevada  City  'posite  side  of  Santiago  canyon  is  an  eleva- 
district  as  at  Grass  Valley,  but  the  busi-  tion  called  "  Carbonate  hill,"  which  seems 
ness  has  been  important  there,  and  is  also  to  contain  much  valuable  mineral  It  is 
growing  at  Willow  Valley,  an  adjoining  approached  from  the  southwest  along 
district,  and  the  future  ol  the  industry  in.  Weakly  canyon,  and  has  an  elevation  of 
that  locality  is  one  of  abundant  promise.  (2600  feet  above  sea  level.  Tha  most  valu- 
The  ores  of  these  districts  are  more  heav-  able  mineral  of  this  "  hill"  is  lead  car- 
ily  mineralized  than  those  of  Grass  Val-  bonate.  W.  8.  Morrow,  who  has  taken 
ley,  the  ores- of  the  latter  yielding  more  tip  several  claims,  h-is  made  openings 
readily  to  the  free-milling  process.  The1  which  expose  the  ledge  for  some  31)00  feet 
concentrates  ot  all  the  ores  of  the  districts)  and  it  is  said  to  run*high  in  silver.  The 
narn.fcd  are  generally  of  high  grade.  !  banging  wall  is  quart/ite,  and  the  foot 

Taken  altogether  the  quartz  mines  have  wall   is   granite.     The  dip    is  eastwardly 
produced  largely  in  gold,    but   it   may  be  which  is   true  of   nil    the    gold  and  silver 


said  that  such  raining  is  as  yet  only  in 
its  infancy  here,  and  thera  is  an  inviting 
field  for  the  intelligent  use  of  capital  and 
labor  to  enter,  with  the  prospect  of 


bearing  rocks  of  the  Santa  Ana  range. 


PLACEB. 


Placer  has  from  the  first  been  noted  for 


abundant  recompense.  th.e  varied  character  and  the  extent  of  her 

Nevada  county  has"Vithin  its  borders  »"'»ng  operations  and  her  large  bullion 
an  extensive  system  of  ancient  rivers.  Production,  the  latter  having  at  one  time 
The  immense  deposits  of  auriferous  grav- (amounted  to  several  million  dollars  per 
els  of  tta  ieniarv  covor  the  greater  part  «nnura-  (  lf  late  years  the  output  of  gold 


the  ridges  between  the  Boar  a:ul  South 
Yuba    rivers,  extending   east  Irotu  Rough 
I  and  Ready,  Grass  Valley  and   Little  YorJc 


has  open  greatly  diminished  through  the 
Stoppage  of  hydraulic  mining,  formerly 
prosecuted  here  on  a  large  scale.  Mean 


UHVJ,      O-l/VCkU.  V1       VJ  Jl  CIO  3        ¥    U.Jt^-   ¥       C4l.1V*.         JJl   WAV-        A   \J  I  M±     -        .      ..  ,  .  , 

to    Omega;    also  on  tho  ridge  between  the  whlle»    however,    drift  gravel  mining  has 
V-Hddle    and     South    Yuba     rivers    from  bee°   somewhat  increased.     This    branch 
TSnurUville,    extending     east     to     Snow  .OI  Jhe  business  is   now  largely  carned^on 
Point,  is   the   most  extensive  ana  richest}  j£  the  couiuy,  the  Forest  Hill  divide  being 
deposit  of  auriferous  gravel  in  the  llnitedj th*  Blt.e  of..lts   S^fl*  e^tensll«:e  operations. 
States,    if   not    in    the  world.     These  im-[,  MmlnS  fr  gold  has  been  the  leading  m- 
mense   auriferous   deposits  are  covered  inff^?7  an?  B9urce  °f  w,ealth  of  the,c  «nty 
places  with  volcanic  capping.  }"  ^be  P«t   since  the  discovery  of  gold  in 

to  the  anti-debris  lifigation  thou-i 1S4Q  ftnH  W1"  «-^--^1"  -«««—  ^  ^  — 


iiuv/j-u-cuiio    i-iii^atLuu    navju.*        f     ,'  •      i      "..    • 

san.is  of  men  were  employed  working  the  of  the  principal   industries  and  sources  of 

wealtn  '    the  future        he      a^ow  placers 


auriferous   deposits  by  hydraulic  process.  ;          e      aow  pacers 

Millions  of  dollars  of  capital  were  also  inJ  W,er.e  0f1*ah*??  «ftondlnK.from  the  .lower 
vested  in  the  construction  of  canal,,  pipe  Pla.ms  almost  to  ih?  summit  of  the  Sierra, 
lines,  and  long  sluice  tunnels  for  working  "V?  wefe  amon^  \he  richest  in  the  State. 
the  depbsitb  by  hydraulic  process.  ,  Quartz  mining  has  also  been  carried  on 


The  auriferous  gr-vels  in  Nevad. 
county,  if  worked  bv  .hvdraulic  process 
with  all  the  water  available,  would,  at  the 
lowest  calculation,  yield  $5,000,000 


, 

Jo  a  greater  or  less  extent  since  the  erec- 
*J°n  of  the  Croesus  mill-one  of  the  first 
»tamp  mills  in  the  btate-on  the  Croesus 
Baltimore  ravine,  near  Auburn, 


$6,000,000  per  year  and   could   not    be  ex-i      As  the  shallow  placers   and  river   bars 

hnust'ed  in  a  century.  !  Were  exhausted  miners  turned  their  atten- 

The    hydraulic    mines    throughout   th^  tion  to  drift  and  hydraulic  mining  in  the 

county  are  all  closed   by   injunction;    th/deep    auriferous    gravels    of  the   ancient 

niajority  of  the  water  ditches    and   canal]  river  channels  on  the  hills;  and  whenever 

•  are  going  to  ruin,  and  the  little  towns  avH  the  beds  of  the  ancient  rivers  were  access- 

villages  dependent  on  the  -mining    indua  ible  for  working  by   shaf's   arid   tunnels 

trv  are   all  about  deserted   and   going   t  they  were  workea  by  the  drifting  process 

ruin,  I  and  yielded  large  profits. 


1               :                                          1 

Hydraulic    mining    began    in   1854  and 
was    carried    on  successfully    at    Yankee 
Jim's,   Forest  Hill,  Bath,  Michigan  Blutt, 
Iowa    Hill,    Wisconsin  Hill,    Gold    Run, 
Dutch  Flat  and  other  places  throughout 
the  county,  and  as  an   industry  iixcreasod 
in    importance    and  flourished  until  the 
debris  litigation  resulted  in  stopping,    by 

placed  on  hydraulic  mining,    on  the  other 
the  mixti.;:  up  of  stock  gambling  with  the 
inaiuur  !;'•  ;:t  of  quartz   mines,  which    has 
been    quuw  prevalent  in  some  parts  of  the 
count}".     It    is    stated    that    the    Joss    to 
Plurnaa  county   through    depreciation  ol 
mining    property    and    diminished    gold 
production    amounted    to   about   $400,000 
tier  annum,  and  as  Plnmaa   rnnntv    has    n 

J.1J   I  U.KJ.I.  H.  \JJLi.      Cfr4JL       UUV     AA  T  W  A  t*  U  1A^    AilUlCa     lil      t  t-l  O  "  ,         ,  ,.          t  _  rt       ^  -, 

county.     Since   hydraulic  mining  ceased,  .population  of  about  7000  1  inhabitants   that 

in  1886,  miners  and  capitalists  have  turned  InOK113  a  iosf  °.f  cver  *500  Per  caPlta  tor  th« 

their  attention   to   the  development   and  en;.lre  Population. 

working  of  quartz  mines  and  the  opening     .Amon*?  the  prominent  quartz  mines    of 

of  the  deep,  lava-capped  auriferous  gravel  *hls.  co<?n^     a™    the     Plumas,    Eureka, 

channels  for  mining  bv  the   drilling   pro-  p^ky  &.,  Crescent   Green    Mountain    Ai- 

' 


pro- 

cess.  This  work  is  not'objectionabie,  as  it  tv?°"!l'  ^h^n  Pennsylvania,  Indian 
can  be  conducted  without  doing  damage  J*llev'  Genesee  Vftlley  and  many  others. 
either  to  the  navigable  streams  or  valley  There  ai'.e  ^w  P°rtlon3  of  the  State  that 
lands  3  present  better  opportunities  for  capital 

Taking  into  consideration  the  fact  that  [than  Pium"s  county. 
there  are  within  the  county   limits  about  SACRAMENTO. 

200  miles  of  umyorked  auriferous  gravel  •  Borne  of  the  richest  placer  mines  that  ' 
channels  and  an  immense  area  of  aurifer-  Were  worked  in  the  early  days  were  lo- 
ous  metamorphic  rock,  in  which  are  great  Gated  within  the  boundaries  ot  this 
numbers  of  veins  of  aurilerous  quanz,  /county,  notably  at  Mormon  island,  Mich- 
and  basing  an  estimate  of  the  amount  of  llgan  bar  and  other  places.  Where  the 
gold  yet  remaining  in  the  unworked  /Am  eric  m  and  Cosumnea  rivers  debouch 
channels  on  tho  results  obtained  from  into  the  Sacramento  valley  from  the  t'oot- 
Channel  workings  at  Forest  Hill,  Iowa  Oiila,  placer  mining  was  carried  on  in  an 


Bill,  Dead  wood,  Last,  Chance,  Canada 
Hill,  Dutch  Fiat  and  some  deep  channel 
workings  between  Rocklin  and  the  Ameri- 
can river,  varying  from  about  $100  to 
$1000  per  linear  foot  of  channel  worked 
end  equal  to  a  product  varying  from 
fcbout  $500,000  to  $5,000,000  par  "mile,  it  is 
evident  that  the  amount  of  gold  already 
extracted  is  but  a  trifle  compared  with  the 
amount  remaining  in  the  ancient  river 
channels  and  quartz  lodes. 

PLUMAS. 
.  From  an  early  period  placer  mining  has 


early  day.  It  is  still  carried  on  to  some 
extent  in  the  foothills  of  Sacramento 
county,  where  water  can  bo  obtained. 
The  extent  of  placer  mining  in  the  neigh- 
borhood oi  Folsom  WHS  the  subject  of  in- 
quiry by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  the 
•ummerof  1890,  and  their  investigations 
extended  over  six  or  eight  mile.s  along 
Willow  creek  and  Alder  creek, 
and  the  land  belonging  to  the  Na- 
toma  Company  in  Granite  and  Natcma 
townships.  They  found  about  sixty  or 
seventy  men  engaged  in  placer  mining 
and  drawing  their  water  supply  from  the 


been  largely  engaged  in  in  Pinmas,  Natoma  Water  and  Mining  Company,  and 
though  this  branch  of  the  business  has  realizing  about  $36,000  per  month,  Indg-  ' 
Buffered  marked  curtailment  through  The  lng  from  the  amount  of  gold  sold  in*Fo!- 
cessation  of  hydraulic  operations.  Drift  §om.  Messrs.  Finch  &  Co.  Salvador  & 
and  quartz  mining,  however,  continue  to  Co.,  P.  Carroll  and  aome  Chinese  were 
be  actively  and  successfully  pursued.  The  working  on  land  belonging  to  the  Natoma 
principal  centers  of  quartz  mining  are  the  Company  that  was  worked  in  the  fifties 
Greenville,  Dixie  and  Jamison  Creek  dis-  by  drifting.  It  consists  of  alluvial  soil 
incts,  in  the  vicinity  of  Indian,  Mohawk  and  pebbles  for  about  fifty  feet  in  depth, 
bud  Genesee  valleys.  Drift  and  other  underlaid  by  cement  and  a  clay  stratum, 
placer  operations  are  mostly  confined  to  Messrs,  Finch  &  Co.  were .  paying  $15  a 
the  central  and  southwestern  parts  oi  the  day  lor  water  and  appeared  to  be  getting 
county.  Deposits  ot  coal,  copper- bearing  fair  returns. 

veins  and  beds  of  marble  rank  also  among      Two  miles    south    from    Folsom   some 
the  mineral  resources  of  Plumas.  drift  mining  is  being  done   at  Rebel  Hill, 

For  a  number  of  years  this  county  held  on  property  belonging  to  the  Natoma 
a  position  in  the  front  ranks  of  the  Water  and  Mining  Company;  ei«ht  or 
bullion-producing  sections  of  California,  ten  claims  are  being  worked  through 
and  while  she  still  contributes  her  quota  ghafts  forty-five  to  fifty  feet  deep.  The 
to  the  yearly  amount.it  is  on  a  greatly  pay  gravel  lies  upon  a  stratum  of  con- 
diminished  scale.  Two  causes  have  com-  glomerate,  similar  to  that  at  Foisora.  i 
bined  to  bring  about  this  condition  of  Jhe  pay  streak  varies  from  three  to  eight 
affairs;  on  the  one  hand  the  injunction  Vj  •  u  ^ 

i_ . — — ^ 4 


r>ETvncEis 


perous  and  permanent    iilyer    mining  in- 


rockers  and 
ground  own 


Thi  f^1  Jf  e<i      Tcamp  is  situated  about  seven  miles 

T       T*    thr°U*h    8l?lc">  north  of  the  town  of  Daggett,  on    the   At- 
?l  f    °Wae"    °f    th9l«ntic    and    Pacific    railroad.      Notwith- 

standing the  want  of  fuel  and  timber  and 
SAN   BEKITO.  the  scarcity  of  water,  the  ease  with  which 

This  countv  has  never  been  known  as  a  the  ores  here  can  be  mined  and  milled  in- 
mineral  section,  yet  there  are  large  de-  sures  a  reduction  of  the  cost  of  working 
posits  of  various  kinds  some  of  which  in-the  near  future,  or  whenever  large  and 
have  been  profitably  worked.  Auriferoua  well-equipped  mills  shall  be  erected, 
placer  workings  have  from  time  to  time]  freight  and  xvages  reduced  and  adjacent 
been  found  and  good  iloat  rock  discovered]  mines  consolidated.  At  the  present  time 
in  the  hills  to  the  north  and  northwest  of  ore  is  milled  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  $4  per 
Panoche,  but  the  locality  is  too  far  from  ton.  A  considerable  number  ot  "chlorid- 
wnter  to  be  available  for  placer  mining  ers"  find  profitable  employment  in  the 
during  the  greater  portion  of  the  year,  numerous  mines  within  a  radius  of  five 
Several  years  ago  a  party  of  Frenchmen  miles  from  the  town.  These  cannot  afford 
commenced  packing  the  dirt  in  sacks  on  to  handle  ore  carrying  much  lees  than 
their  shoulders  to  the  nearest  creeic,  a  forty  ounces  to  the  ton,  having  usually  to 
distance  of  about  two  miles,  but  they  pay  a  tribute  of  one-fifth,  in  addition  to 
could  only  make  from  50  to  75  cents  per  tne  expense  of  sacking,  freighting  and 
day,  and  abandoned  the  enterprise.  It  is  milling;  as  a  consequence  large  quantities 
also  claimed  that  a  ledge  of  rock  has  been  of  comparatively  high  grade  ore  are  left 
struck  in  the  same  district  that  assays  in  the  mines  or  da  the  dumps,  to  bo  worked 
high  both  in  gold  and  silver.  at  some  future  time.  The  depression  in 

The  McLeod  district  is  the  principal  the  silver  market  has  exercised  a  bad  effect 
mineral  producing  section  of  the  county,  upon  the  Calico  mines  and  many  good 

SAN  BSBNARDIWO.  properties  are  now  closed  down. 

Mining  in  one  form  or  another  has  been 
pursued  in  this  county  from  an  early  day. 
At  first  the  business  'consisted  of  placer 
operations,  carried  on  in  its  southwestern 
part,  chiefly  in  Bear  and  Holcomb  val- 
leys, and  along  some  of  the  creeks  and 
gulches  stilt  further  west.  Later  on  some 
quartz  mining  was  undertaken  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  county;  which  were  not,  how- 
ever, attended  with  much  success.  After 
the  discovery  of  the  Comstock  lode,  the 
attention  of  the  mining  public  having 
been  strongly  directed  to  silver,  the  whole 
northern  part  ot  Sin  Bernardino  was  ex- 
plored for  that  metal,  and  with  sucn  en- 
couraging prospects  that  a  number  of 
mining  districts  were  organized  and  many 


Sun  Bernardino  contains  the  following 
mining  districts,  nearly  all  located  in  the 
desert  portion  of  the  county:  The  Gold 
and  Silver,  Morongo,  Brier,  Holcorab 
Valley,  Borax  Lake,  Ruby  Mountain, 
Twenty-nine  Palms,  Ibex,  Borrows, 
Moron  go,  Solo,  New  York,  Exchequer, 
Grapevine,  Temescal,  Ord,  Black  Hawk, 
Trojan,  Silver  Mountain,  Lava  Bed,  AU 
vord,  Calico,  Clark  and  Scanlon. 

The  copper,  lead,  zinc,  asbestos,  iron 
and  other  minerals  are  al?o  found  in  this 
county. 

On  Lytle  creek,  thirteen  miles  north- 
westerly from  Colton,  auriferous  gravel  is 
found.  From  the  mouth  of  the  canyon 
northerly,  five  miles,  to  Pratts,  there  is 
more  or  less  of  it,  and  considerable  work 
was  once  done  here.  The  available  places, 
however,  »re  nearly  exhausted  and  work 
has  been  discontinued  for  a  Ions  time.  At 
T?xas  Point  some  $80,000  is  reported  to 
have  been  taken  out  by  hydraulic  process. 

in      1868,  ~  a  '  little     later.      Owing  ~  to  I  AboVQ  this  point  the  ravine  spreads  out  in 
their  remoteness,  the   cost  of  trnnsporta-     fla's'  coverod  b>'  la.rSe  granite  bowlders, 
tion,    and    otherwise   adverse   conditions    5      Crossing  the  ravine  near  Glenn's  ranch, 
mining  made  so  little  headway  in   the.se  I  fc«wnshlP  2  north    range  6  west,    section 
districts  that  they  came,  in  the  course  of  a     22.- .a  .vem    ot    ^old-bearing    rock   occurs, 


lodes  taken  up  in  that  region  of  country. 
The  districts  so   formed   consisted   of  the 
State  Range,    Washington.    Argus.    Tele-  i  , 
scope,  Armagosa,  Potosi  and   the  Ei.   Do-  '     as  bee" 
rado—  the     Ivanpah      district,      in     the 
same     region,      having      been      formed 
a 


districts  that  they  came,  in  the  course  of  a 
few  years,  to  be  about  deserted.  Since 
the  construction  of  a  railroad  across  the 
Mojave  desert,  rendering  the  mines  more 
accessible  and  greatly  reducing  the  cost 
ot  transportation,  mining  operations  have 
undergone  some  reviral  in  these  districts, 
with  the  prospect  of  becoming  still  more 
ao'ive  in  the  early  future. 

Meantime  the  Calico  country,  much 
more  accessible  and  every  way  more  ad- 
vantageously situated,  having  been  dis- 
covered and  opened  up,  promises  to  plant 
in  the  very  center  of  this  county  a 


which  gave  a  good   horn-spoon    prospect, 
showing  free  gold;  but  no  work  has  been  j 
done  on  it  other  ihan  sinking  a  five-foot 
shaft. 

On  the  headwaters  of  the  San  Gabriel 
river,  close  to  the  line  on  the  Los  Angeles 
side,  and  westerly  from  the  point  above 
mentioned,  ten  miles  from  its  source 
southerly,  and  thirty  miles  westerly  from 
Glenn's  ranch,  on  the  western  slope  of  the 
San  Gabriel  and  Lytle  creek  ranges,  lies 
the  San  Gabriel  gold  mino.  A  shaft 
twenty  ieet  in  depth  has  been  sunk,  ex- 
posing a  vein  twelve  feet  wide,  and  a 
quartz  mill  is  being  buiu  on  the  property. 

On  the  northern  slope  of  the  San   An- 


tonio  Peak,  at  an  elevation  of  8UO  feet,  a 
dead  river  channel  of  auriferous  gravel 
was  discovered  in  the  summer  of  1882.  In 
many  respects  this  gravel  resembles  that 
of  the  pliocene  beds  so  extensively  worked 
in  the  middle  and  northern  counties  of 
California. 

SAN   DIEGO. 

San  Diego  county,  besides  a  variety  of 
other  useful  minerals  and  metals,  pos- 
sesses a  considerable  wealth  of  gold  and 
silver,  chiefly  the  former,  her  auriferous 
resources  consisting  of  both  vein  and 
placer  deposits,  the  latter  not  extensive. 
Salt  is  hiso  produced  in  this  county. 
Gold-bearing  quartz  lodes  were  discov- 
ered here  as  early  us  1869,  the  site  of  these 
first  discoveries  being  in  the  Cayurnaca 
mountains,  a  high  ranee  distant  some 
sixty  miles  from  the  coast.  The  Julian, 
the  Banner  and  several  other  districts 
were  afterwards  organized  here,  many 
claims  taken  up  and  much  work  done, 
tiu>  still  continuing  to  be  the  prin- 
cipal quartz  locality  of  the  county. 

From  statistics  prepared  by  Chester 
Gunn  of  San  Diego  it  appears  that  the 
gold  yield  from  theao  districts,  from  their 
discovery  in  1869  np  to  1830,  was  over 
$2,500,000.  The  surface  rock  being  rich, 
it  was  a,  good  camp  for  poor  men.  That 
this  neighborhood  has  not  yet  been  prop- 
erly explored  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in 
the  early  part  of  1890,  in  a  little  valley 
rive  miles  southeasterly  from  the  town  of 
Julian  (at  an  altitude  of  4700  feet),  seven 
locations  had  been  made  on  small,  rich 
veins  of  auriferous  quartz,  tne  croppings 
carrying  free  gold  to  such  an  extent  that 
it  seems  almost  impossiole  that  for  nearly 
twenty  years  it  should  have  escaped  the 
eye  of  the  prospector. 

The  loading  mine  of  San  Diego  county 
is  undoubtedly  the  Stonewall,  which  is 
situated  in  Julian  district.  The  yield  of 
this  mine  has  been  very  large,  and  it  is 
still  believed  to  be  a  good  property. 

Speaking  generally  of  the  history  and 
prospects  of  gold  mining  in  Ban  Diego 
county  it  may  be  said  that  while  a  good 
de  1  of  prospecting  and  surface  scratching 
has  been  done  at  various  localities,  yet 
the  tot  d  aggregate  amount  of  intelligent 
and  systematic  mining  which  has  ever 
yet  been  dono  wituin  the  lirnita  of  the 
county  is  extremely  small. 

This  has  been  due  to  a  variety  of  causes: 
First,  most  of  the  mines  are  situated  at 
considerable  distances  from  any  points 
which  have  hitherto  been  very  easily  ac- 
cessible to  travelers,  and  very  little  has 
baen  known  about  them  outside  of  the 
county  itself.  Second,  there  has  existed 
from  the  beginning  a  widespread  but  un- 
reasonable and  unfounded  prejudice 
against  the  county,  which  has  rendered  it 
almost  impossible  to  induce  capitalists  to 
invest  any  money  in  mines  that  are  lo- 


-*—;*• 


c  there.     Thus,    mos 

hava  in  tne  past  Deen  owned  and  worked 
by  men  who  were  comparatively  poor  and 
had  not  the  requisite  means  to  properly 
develop  them,  wnich  accordingly  they 
failed  to  do.  Other  mines  have  shutdown 
for  other  causes,  which  were  not  the  fault 
of  the  mines  themselves,  such  as  unskill- 
ful and  incompetent,  management  (which 
will  ruin  any  mine);  costly  litigation, 
which  always  arises  to  a  greater  or  leas  ex- 
tent wherever  rich  mines  are  found,  etc. 
Yet  many  of  these  mines  have  yielded 
large  sums  in  the  past,  and  some  of  them 
are  to-day  running  and  doing  well. 

BAN    FRANCISCO. 

The  county  of  San  Francisco  is  to  be 
numbered  among  the  gold-bearing  locali- 
ties. Located  in  the  western  part  of  the 
county  is  a  gold-producing  beach,  which, 
commencing  at  the  outlet  of  Laguna  de  in 
Merced,  extends  thence  south  along  the 
seashore  lor  a  distance  of  about  two  miles. 
Nearly  all  the  gold  here  occurs  in  strata  of 
masnetic  iron  ore,  the  so-called  black 
s:uid,  there  being  very  little  in  the  ordi- 
nary sand  of  which  the  beach  is  mainly 
composed.  Tho  gold  found  consists  of 
minute  particles,  much  of  it  being  of  al- 
most atomic  fineness.  A  piece  as  large  as 
the  head  of  a  pin  has  never  probably  been 
washed  out  here. 

JLike  all  auriferous  beaches,  and  most 
other  placers,  this  is  a  secondary  deposit, 
the  original  sources  of  this  gold  having 
been  the  quartz  lodes  that  formerly 
existed  in  the  basin  that  has  its  drainage 
into  the  laguna.  Some  have  assigned  for 
this  gold  another  and  more  distant 
origin,  advancing  the  theory  that  it  was 
by  ocean  currents  brought  down  from  the 
north  and  here  thrown  up  and  left  by  the 
surf.  This,  however,  was  before  the 
country  adjacent  had  been  examined  and 
its  numerous  character  established. 

Gold- bearing  quartz  veins  and  their  at- 
tendant metainorphic  rocks  are  found  not 
only  in  the  basin  of  the  Laguna  Merced, 
but  throughout  the  entire  San  Francisco 
peninsula,  and  eren  along  the  Santa  Cruz 
Dranch  of  the  Coast  range,  all  the  way 
down  to  the  bay  of  Monterey.  A  quartz 
mill  was  put  up  in  these  mountains  many 
years  ago,  and  for  a  time  run  with  some 
success.  A  nugget  of  gold  weighing  sev- 
eral ounces  was  picked  up  in  that  vicinity 
at  an  early  day.  Careful  prospecting 
along  all  the  ravines  and  arroyos  through- 
out this  region  reveals  frequently  a  speck 
of  free  gold,  with  many  grains  of  the 
characteristic  black  sand. 

SAN    JOAQUIN. 

While  San  Joaquin  is  not  and  never  has 
been  a  mining  county,  yet  it,  does  not 
follow  that  there  is  no  gold  there.  On  the 
contrary  it  is  certain  that  tho  precious 
metal  does  exist  in  the  gravel  of  the 
screams  which  pass  through  the  county, 
all  of  which  have  their  sources  in  the  rich- 
est placer  mining  region  of  the  early  days. 
Some  Jittle  mining  has  been  done  on 
these  streams  within  the  iimita  of  the 


— £  nty,  and  it  may  well  be  that  in  the 
.i£~ure  this  may  become  a  source  of  con- 
siderable wealth. 

SAN   LTTIS  OBISPO. 

Gold,  silver,  lead,  copper,  quicksilver, 
1  chromite,  gypsum,  onyx,  salt,  lime,  coal 
and  petroleum  hare  been  found  in  the 
mountains  of  this  county.  It  is  a  matter 
of  history-  that  gold  was  shipped  from  San 
Luis  Obispo  and  neighboring  counties 
prior  to  its  discovery  by  Marshall  in  1818. 
The  explorers  of  the  Pacific  railroad  re- 
ported gold  wast  of  Salinas  in  1854, 
though  its  existence  in  the  S*n  Jose 
mountains  had  long  been  known.  Gold 
has  been  and  is  still  washed  from  sands  in 
the  bed  of  the  Sim  Marcos  creek,  about 
four  miles  northwest  of  Paso  Robles,  dur- 
ing the  wet  months  of  the  year,  yielding, 
it  is  said,  as  high  aa  from  $3  to  $4  a  nun 
a  day.  Placer  claims  have  also  been 
worked  thirtv  miles  southeast  of  Temple- 
ton  since  1870-71,  ground  sluicing  and  pan- 
ning, when  water  has  boen  plentiful,  hav- 
ing yielded  from  $2  to  $4  a  diy. 

The  placer  mines  of  the  La  Panzi  dis- 
j  trict  are  the  best  known  and  are  probably 
i  of  the  moat  importance.  They  are  sitii- 
1  ate  i  at  the  southe  (Stern  foot  of  the  Sau 
Jose  range,  which  rises  as  a  formidable 
mountain  joining  the  Santa  Lucia,  and 
over  $100,000  in  gold  has  been  taken  out. 
During  1878  there  was  quite  a  rush  to 
these  parts  and  prosneciing  was  carried 
o;i  in  nearly  all  the  gulches  leading  from 
the  Sin  Josa  range  to  the  San  Juaii  river. 
The  chief  interest  was  centered  in  the  De 
la  Guerra  gulch,  where  the  most  mining 
was  done,  even  as  late  as  1882;  also  upon 
the  Narajo  creek,  which  is  a  stream  of 
constantly  flowing  water.  Some  of  these 
placers  have  yielded  as  hiarh  as  $4  per  day. 
The  gold  was  coarse,  pieces  worth  50 
cents  or  80  cents  being  of  frequent  oc- 
currence. Haystack  canvon  also  has  run- 
ning water  and  eold.  Near  the  head  of 
this  canyon  are  falls  of  twenty  feet,  where 
the  water  descends  into  a  basin  twenty 
feet  across  and  ten  or  twelve  ieet  deep,  j 
These  streams  re  xch  the  channel  of  the, 
San  Juan  during  very  wet  weather.  Of 
late  years  these  mines  have  not  been  j 
actively  worked,  chiefly  on  account  of  the 
scarcity  of  water.  In  the  southern  por- 
tion of  the  county  gold  has  also  been 
found  in  sands  on  the  seashore  in  con- 
siderable quantity.  They  are  reported  as 
yielding  from  $1  50  to  $2  per  day  to 
the  miner,  and,  as  the  gold  dust  appears 
to  be  renewed  by  the  washing  of  the  sea, 
the  deposits  are  practically  inoxhautible. 

SAN    MATEO. 

The  minerals  of  this  county,  as  far  as 
investigation  is  shown,  consists  <yf  gold, 
silver,  petroleum,  coal  quicksilver,  lime 
and  building  atones.  Of  these  petroleum 
and  building  stones  are  at  present  alone 
turned  to  any  practical  account. 


Traces  of  gold  have  been  discovered  in 
various  creeks  and  gulches  in  San  Mateo 
coun  y,  especially  on  the  Hawes  ranch, 
near  Redwood  City,prospects  there  having 
been  struck  which  yielded  several  colors 
of  gold  to  the  pan.  There  is  said  to  be  a 
quartz  ledge  on  Deniston  peak  which  as- 
s'tys  a  few  dollars  to  the  ton,  and  from 
which  specimens  showing  free  gold  have 
been  obtained.  Also  upon  the  ranch  of 
!0te  Durham,  on  the  Tanitas  creek,  is  a 
ledge  of  quartz  which  is  said  to  assay  well. 
Placer  mining  has  at  intervals  been 
carried  on  at  several  points  along  the  sea- 
shore with  varied  success.  A  bed  of  black 
sand  on  the  beach  at  the  Deniston  ranch, 
!  about  one  mile  north  of  Amesport  land- 
,insr,  was  worked  with  only  partial  sue- 
Iceas,  though  one  of  the  parties  stated  that 
j  he  recovered  about  $7  to  the  ton. 

SANTA   BARBARA. 

Gold,  silver,  quicksilver  and  other  val- 
uable mineral*  are  found  in  this  county. 
On  the  San  Marcos  ranch  there  is  said  to 
be  a  lode  that  .nsaays  well  in  both  gold 
and  silver.  Gold-bearing  rock  has  also 
been  found  on  the  Buel ranch  near  Los 
Aianios.  Placer  claims  ha/e  been  worked 
;tt  Pine  mountain,  also  at  the  headwaters 
ot'Z.iea  creek,  and  at  cevenl  places  in  the 
San  Rafael  mountains.  A.  tew  colors  of 
gold  are  occasionally  found  in  the  creaks 
running  from  the  Santa  Ynez  range. 
Gold-washing  has  also  been  carrie'l  on 
upon  the  seashore.  The  most  successful 
operations  were  at  Point  Sal,  in  the  north- 
western corner  of  the  county.  Gold-wash- 
ing h'as  been  intermittingly  carried  on  here 
by  the  Point  Sal  Mining  Company.  The 
gold  is  found  in  streaks  of  black  s-ind  from 
three  to  four  feet  beiow  the  surface  of  the 
beach.  They  run  from  one  inch  to  two 
feet  in  thickness,  usually  being  about  one 
foot,  und  from  thirty"  to  forty  feet  in 
length.  The  bank  of  the  beach  runs  north 
and  Bouth,  the  streaks  of  sand  east  and 
west  toward  the  ocean,  i  Beneath  the 
black  sand  is  blue  clay  in  sortie  places  and 
sandstone  in  others.  Thericneat  deposits 
are  found  on  the  sandstone  where  it  is 
worn  into  ridges,  being  favorable  to  the 
concentration  of  the  gold.  This  sand  is 
run  into  a  hopper,  where  a  stream  of 
water  carries  it  over  amalgamated  plates. 
About  twenty-fire  tons  of  this  sand 
yieLIed  $137. 

Seven  miles  north  of  Poin$  Pedernales 
and  twelve  miles  west  of  the  village  of 
Lompoc  is  a  long  beach  where  gold  in' con- 
siderable quantities  has  betm  obtained 
from  the  washing  of  the  sands.  The 
auriferous  ground  extends  northerly  some 
two  or  threa  miles  to  the  opening  of  the 
valley  of  the  Santa  Ynez  rivor,  two  miles 
south  from  the  mouth  of  the  stream. 
Through  this  extent  the  bluif  is  from 
twenty  to  thirty  feet  high,  being  a  ce- 
mented mass  of  sand  and  gravel  in  hori- 
zontal layers  as  if  it  were  the  channel  of 
an  ancient  river.  At  the  base  of  this  the 
sand  beach  of  the  ocean  slopes  away  to  ' 
the  water  in  a  width  of  from  100  to  " 


.ros  at   times   be-  »t, 

the  uiuu.  During  nea*y  storms  the  light 
gray  sands  are  washed  away,  leaving  a 
surface  of  black  ferruginous  sand,  which 
is  accompanied  by  fine  particles  of  gold 
and  platinum.  In  other  storms  the  gray 
sand  is  returned  to  a  depth  of  four  to  six 
feet  over  the  black  sand,  and  this  is  the 
usual  condition. 

SANTA   CLARA. 

This  county  ranks  well  with  any  other 
in  California  in  the  possession  of  valuable 
mineral  resources.  Prospects  of  goid  and 
silver  have  been  discovered  in  the  creeks 
of  the  Mount  Hamilton  group  and  Santa 
Cruz  mountains.  Gold  was  discovered  in 
tdie  bed  of  the  San  Franci^quito  creek, 
near  Maytield,  eighteen  years  ago  and  a 
placer  camp  was  started,  but  was  soon 
abandoned.  Gold  was  also  panned  out  in 
the  pioneer  days  in  Coyote  creek,  within 
the  present  limits  of  the  city  of  San  Jose, 
but  in  trifling  quantities.  Specimens  of 
silver- bearing  quartz,  purported  to  have 
boon  discovered  in  the  vicinity  of  Mount 
Hamilton,  havo  also  bean  brought  into 
San  Jos«.  Mr.  Hahn,  who  lives  in  Ala- 
meda  township,  states  that  he  discovered 
a  quartz  i«dge  in  the  Coast  Range;  that 
the  ledge  runs  northeast  by  southwest, 
and  that  the  cropping^,  which  are  three 
feet  wide,  assayed  $1  in  silver  and  80  cents 
in  gold  per  ton. 

SANTA   CRUZ. 

The  metals  and  minerals  as  yet  discov- 
ered in  the  county  are  gold,  silver,  coal, 
bituminous  rock,  quicksilver  and  litne, 
together  with  sufficient  building  stone  for 
local  purp  >ses.  Of  those  gold  and  silver, 
petroleum,  in  the  form  of  bituminous 
rock,  lime  and  building  stonos  are  all  that 
can  be  counted  as  known  sources  of  actual 
mineral  we  ilth. 

Placer  mining  is  carried  on   along  vari- 
ous creeks  in  this  county   when    water  is 
abundmt  and  generally  yields  fur  wages 
to  those  engaged   in   it.     The  sluice  and 
rocker  have  been  f.iiniliar   sights   both  on 
Wardell  creek   and   at   Gold  Gulch,    near 
Felton,  and  on  Maior  creek,  on   the  ranch 
of  J.    L.    Thurber.*    At    the    latter   place 
three  men  within  thirteen   days   took  out 
thrteen  ounces  of  gold    with   sluices    and 
plain  riffles,   no   quicksilver   being    used. 
The    gold   was    coarse   and,  rough,    some    . 
pieces     being    attached    to     rose-colored   i 
crystalline     quartz.     The    largest    pieces  ij 
ranged  in  value  from   25  cents  to  $10,  the 
majority  being  the   size    of   a    srruin    of 
wheat;  there  was  no  fine   gold.     The  gold  } 
was  worth   $18   per   ounce!     Parties    have 
rained  on  the  creek   for   five  years,  and  it  ( 
is  stated  that  over   $28,000   worth   of  gold  -j 
has  been  shipped  through  Wells,  Fargo  &  'j 
Co.      at     Santa     Cruz.     In    early    days  ji 

bowlder,  the  size  of  which  was  estimated   i 

t  some  sixteen  cubic  feat,  was  discovered  j 
Gulch,  near  Felton,  which,   when 


milled,  yielded  «ome  $33,000.  A  small 
mill  was  erected  on  the  spot,  but,  although 
a  tunnel  1200  feet  long  was  run  into  the 
hill  in  hope  of  striking  the  ledge  from 
which  the  bowlder  came,  nothing  re- 
munerative was  developed.  Various 
attempts  have  been  made  to  discover  trie 
source  of  the  placer  gold,  but  heretofore 
prospecting  has  met  with  but  little  suc- 
cess in  the  county,  tho  great  obstacle 
being  the  depth  of  soil  covering  the  rock 
formation  and  the  dense  growth  it  main- 
tains, both  of  which  prove  a  hindrance 
to  the  prospector  and  geological  observer, 
yet  some  few  iedgas  have  been  unearthed. 
Considerable  attention  has  been  paid  to 
the  auriferous  black  sand  which  occurs  in 
the  ancient  raised  baaches  of  Santa  Cruz, 
upon  which  abortive  experiments  have 
heretofore  been  made;  also  the  auriferous 
sands  upon  the  seashore,  which  in  slack 
times  have  yielded  small  wages  for  man- 
ual labor  since  the  early  settlement  of 
California. 

SHASTA. 

This  is  one  of  the  counties  that  ranked 
among  the  largest  gold-producers  in  the 
early  history  of  placer  mining,  and  it  had 
many  extensive  deposits  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver ore,  as  well  as  other  minerals.  Some 
little  placer  mining  is  still  occasionally 
done,  but  the  bulk  of  mining  now  carried 
on  is  the  development  of  the  qutrtz  de- 
posits. Old  Diggings  district  has  several 
notable  mines,  including  tho  Texas  and 
Georgia,  which  haa  produced  ore  that 
paid  $240  to  $290  to  tha  ton  in  gold  and 
$10  in  silver.  The  Utah  and  California 
averages  $150  to  the  ton,  and  a  large 
amount  of  work  has  been  done  on  it. 

The  Lower  Springs  district,  a  few  miles 
northwest  of  Redding,  has  half  a  dozen 
good  veins  which  show  rich  ore.  In  early 
days  the  ravines  and  gulches  in  the 
mountain  through  which  this  vein  crosses 
were  exceedingly  ncn  in  "placer,"  mainly 
below  the  point  of  outcrop  of  this  ledge. 
During  the  past  year  several  pieces  or 
nuggets  w?re  picked  up,  having  been 
washed  down  by  the  winter's  rain.  The 
owners  of  the  properties  will  not  permit 
any  mining,  as  the  level  lands  adjoining 
are  under  cultivation — vineyard  and  or- 
chard. 

One  of  the  best  known  mines  in  Shasta 
county  is  the  Washington,  located  at 
French  Gulch.  This  mine  was  located 
thirty-nine  years  ago.  The  first  stamp 
mill  erected  in  the  county,  containing  six 
stamps,  was  built  on  this  claim.  Tho 
mine  has  produced  betweon  $500,000  and 
$600,000  since,  but  is  not  at  present  a  pay- 
ing proposition.  The  owners  are  pros- 
pecting the  property  for  the  purpose  of 
opening  out  new  ore  bodies.  It  has  an  el- 
evat'on  of  2000  feet  above  sea  level  and  is 
two  and  one-half  miles  west  from  the  town 
of  French  Gulch. 

The  Nia  :ara  mine,  at  French  Gulch,  is 
another  notable  property  which  has  been 
worked  for  a  long  time  and  has  paid 
largely. 

In  nearly  all  those  portions  of  tne  county  i 

I 


where  placer  mining  was  ever  followed 
the  quartz  miner  is  at  work,  and  many 
promising  ledges  havo  been  discovered. 
These  ledges  are  not  confined  to  any  one 
part  of  Shasta,  but  are  met  with  over  a 
lar»e  part  of  the  county.  One  of  the 
most  noteworthy  deposits  of  mineral  in 
the  county,  and  in  fact  in  the  world,  is  the 
Iron  Mountain,  fourteen  miles  northwest  of 
Redding.  There  is  a  good  road  to  this  mine 
leading  through  Shasta  and  then  into  the 
mountains,  over  a  narrow  and  steep  grade, 
aad  a  visit  to  the  remarkable  deposit  IB 
well  worth  undertaking.  The  Iron  Mount- 
ain mine  has  a  twenty-stamp  mill  con- 
stantly at  work,  and  large  shipments  of 
silver  are  regularly  made.  There  is 
nothing  peculiar  about  the  mill,  the 
ore  being  roasted  and  worked  by  what 
is  known  as  the  pan  process.  The 
mine  itself,  however,  is  i  curiosity.  There 
is  a  solid  mountain  of  ore  rising  some  1200 
feet  a  iove  the  gulch  in  wiiich  the  mill  is 
located,  and  extending  for  miles  in  either 
direction.  No  shafts  or  tunnels  are 
needed  in  working  the  mine,  but  the  ore 
is  simplv  quarrie  I  from  the  face  of  the 
mountain  and  sent  to  the  mill  through 


about  the  year  1850  in  the  Sau  Joaquin 
river  and  its  tributaries,  and  a  mining 
population  of  about  ISOOaprung  up  in  that 
vicinity.  Many  men  made  small  fortunes, 
while  the  degree  of  success  of  others  was 
less.  One  of  the  claims  there  paid  iis 
proprietor  $117,000.  There  were  also  sev- 
eral Chinese  companies  engasred  in  min- 
ing who  faied  very  well.  At  Fine  Gold 
creek  alone  thero  were  at  one  time  in  the 
early  fifties  500  people  mining.  The  pla- 
cers were  worked  for  all  they  wore  worth 
until  the  winter  of  1807-68,  when  the 
heavy  floods  swept  everything  away,  dis- 
couraging the  miners,  the  greater  number 
of  Whom  sought  more  promising  aud  newer 
fields.  The  advent  of  the  agriculturist 
auout  this  time  and  the  exhaustion  of  the 
old  placers  also  contributed  to  bring  about 
the  cessation  of  placer  mining.  There  are 
still  some  very  good'  claims  there,  but 
they  have  never  been  worked  on  account 
of  the  difficulty  of  turning  the  water. 
Some  quartz  mining  was  done  early  in 
the  fifties.  The  quartz  mining  belt  ia 
from  eight  to  ten  miles  in  width,  running 
parallel  with  the  Sierra  Nevada,  its  edge 
being  about  twenty- live  rniles  from 
Fresno.  The  various  mining  districts 


chutes.  Wnen  first  discovered  the  ore  are  Hildreth,  Auberry,  Mount  Raymond, 
was  supposed  to  be  a  deposit  of  iron,  and  Fresno  Flats,  Grub  Gulch,  Coarse  Gold, 
so  indeed  is  about  75  per  cent  of  it.  But  (  Fine  Gold,  North  Fork  and  the  Minarets, 
assays  showed  that  there  was  a  large  pro-  Many  line  prospects  have  been  made, 
portion  of  silver,  together  with  a  little  -  which  will  no  doubt  prove  valuable  prop- 


gold  and  copper.  Consequently  it  was 
decided  to  wori  the  ore  for  the  precious 
metal  and  let  the  rest  go,  and  this  is  now 
being  done. 

Underneath  the  iron   and   silver   com- 
bination, however,  are  immense  deposits 


ernes  when  developed.  When  experi- 
enced mining  men  become  interested  and 
invest  capital — t'he  scarcity  of  which  up 
to  the  present  has  prevented  the  full  de- 
velopment of  the  mine* — the  results  will 
be  most  gratifying.  The  ores  extracted 


of  sulphurets,  which  run    from  $30  to  $150    have  in  many   cases   assayed  very  highly, 
in  silver,  and  which  are    largely  of  such  a    as  much  as  $500  and  in  some   cases   even 
that   the   ore   can  be  shoveled  out    $1000. 


nature  tnat  tue  ore   can  be  shoveled  out 
i  like  so  m  ich    loose  sand.     Prospect  tun- 
!  nels  have  been  run  ia  these  sulphuret  ae- 
'  posits,  and  no   limit  to  their   extent    has 
been  found.     The  mine,  had    it  been  dis- 
covered on  the  Coma  took  or  in  any  other 
noted  mining  region,    would  be  one  ot  the 
wonders  of  the  worli    and    would  produce 
a  second   Was  hoe  excitement.     But  it  is 


Of  course,  this  is  much  above  the 
average,  but  the  ore  is  of  a  high  grade 
generally.  The  capital  invested  in  the 
mines  in  this  county  amounts  to  fully 
$350,000,  while  the  number  of  men  em- 
ployed is  about  500.  Though  many  of  the 
mines  have  been  worked  quite  steadily, 
tne  operations,  except  in  a  few  instances, 
have  not  been  on  a  verv  extensive  scale. 


the  property  of  a  few   men   who   are  con-  HUMBOLDT. 

tented  with  working  along  in  a  quiet  way,  Humboldt  county  possesses  some  valu- 
and,  while  there  are  unquestionably  milJ-  able  gold  mines  notable  being  those  at 
ions  in  it,  it  is  not  tor  sale,  and  the  y.lult  ig  known  as  Qold  Bluff  where  there 
stock  gamblers  have  had  DO  hand  m  it.  are  extensive  black  sand  deposits.  These 
Tue  capacity  of  the  mill  is  to  be  doubled  d/eposi,s  created  much  excitement  some 
shortly,  and  indeed ,  tnere  is  ore  enough  thirty-five  or  thirty-six  vears  a-o.  They 
in  sight  to  ke«p  the  largest  mill  that  coula  exleud  lrom  Oregon  eight  miles  in  a 
be  put  up  profitably  running  for  an  in-  8outneriy  direction.  Tne  whole  line  of 
definite  period.  the  beach  was  worked  for  the  gold  the 

Another  mine  which  has  attracted  (  n- •  sand  contained.  This  deposit  of  black 
siderable  attention  is  the  tellurium  deposit  iftnd  C0ntalu9  traces  of  platinum,  osmium 
discovered  a  few  years  ago  some  three _iridium  too  minute  to  have  any  com. 
miles  from  Redding  m  a  pulch  that  is  raerciai  vajue  but  with  sufficient  gold  to 
tributary  to  the  Sacramento  river.  Thu  make  the  DBSines3  oi  gathering  it  iucra- 
mine  was  discovered,  by  Peter  Scherer^tive  Several  parties  engaged  in  this 
Who  was  led  to  senrch  for  a  quartz  ledg«inuriferousj  narvest  have  "retireti  with  u 
because  of  the  rich  placers  that  had  beerUompetency>  From  the  date  of  discovery 
found  in  the  vicinity.  The  first  shot  pui^  the  present  writing  these  beaches  have 

been  annually  worked,  success  depending, 


time  occupy  a  prominent  pi  ice  among  the 
gold-bearing  sections  of  the  State. 

SISKIYOU. 

All  kinds  of  gold  mining  known  in. 
California  are  successfully  prosecuted  in 
Siskiyou  county — quartz,  placer,  drift  and 
river.  A  great  deal  of  hydraulickins  is 
also  done,  as  the  inhibition  agiinst  that 
industry  doea  not  apply  here.  On  the 
Kiamath  river,  as  also  on  its  nviin  tribu- 
taries— the  Shasta  river,  Scott  river  and 
Salmon  river — the  main  bullion  -producing 
sections  of  the  county  are  found.  The 
greater  proportion  of  the  mineral  wealth 
is  obtained  at  present  from  the  gravel 
benches,  bars  and  ancient  river  channels, 
not  that  the  county  is  lacking  in  vein  de- 
posits, but  her  mountains  are  so  ragged 
precipitous  that  transportation  of 


The  gold  deposits  nere  consist  mainly  01 
aurilerous  sands  on  the  ocean  beach,  and 
some  placers  of  limited  extent  along  the 
confluents  of  Russian  river.  In  exca- 
vating near  Tyrone,  on  the  lino  of  the 
North  Pncific  Riilroad,  some  small 
stringers  of  silver-bearing  ore,  associated 
with  rnagnesian  shales,  have  been  cut. 
Argentiferous  indications  are  reported 
elsewhere  in  the  county.  One  and  a  half 
miiea  east  ot  the  same  locality  is  situated 
the  Sonoma  copper  mine. 

A  little  gold  is  also  said  to  have  been 
found  almost  everywhere  in  the  guiche* 
among  the  hills  tor  a  considerable  dis- 
tance both  north  and  south  ot  Cloverdale, 
oh  both  sides  of  the  Russian  river  valley; 
and  it  is  s;;id  that  at  a  few  localities  con- 
placer  mining  was  once  done, 


aim    precupuous    uiat    ir.mspuruu.on    01  , 

large    machinery   as   required  to  develop  although  it  never  paid  much  more  than 

qu.rtz  mines  is   difficult.     As  the  debris,  ordinary  wages. 

from  the  hydraulic  mines  is  dumped    into'  STANISLAUS. 

the  canyons  and  streams  tributary  to   the      Stanislaus  county  cannot  at  the  present 

Kiamath   river,  ^bich    is    torrential   and  day  boast  of    any   large  store  of    mineral 

discharges   directly   into    the  sea  without!  wealth.     Formerly   ft  good    deal  of   gold 

harming  any  large  spaces  o     arable   land  dust  was  taken    from    the    bars  along  the 

along  its  course,  no  danv.ga  is  done  to  the   Stanislaus   and   Tuolurane  rivers,  in   the 

farmers,  and  no  objection  is    made  to  thig  northeastern  part  of  the  county,  but  these 

method  of  working.  L  bars  have   become  so  much   depleted  that 

The  mining  districts  in  this  county  ure  they  afford  now  employment  to  only  a 
the  Oottonwood,  Yrek;t,  Humtnig,  D?ad-  small  number  of  men,  and  there  being  in 
w  *od,  Oro  Fino,  Caliban's  Ranch,  Scott  the  county,  so  far  as  known,  no  other  de- 
River,  Oak  Bar,  Seiad  Valley,  Coitagel  posits  of  "the  precious  metals,  the  output 
Grove,  Liberty,  South  Fork  of  Salmon  and  of  bullion  has  of  late  years  amounted  to 
Forks  of  the  Salmon.  comparatively  little. 

Triere  are  a  number  of  good  quartz  Some  placer  mining  is  still  being  car- 
mines in  the  county  which  have  paid  wellj  ried  on  upon  the  Stanislaus  river,  near 
and  there  is  any  amount  of  opportunity!  Knight's  Ferry,  in  the  alluvial  deposits 
lor  the  investment  of  capital.  *•'  which  skirt  Table  mountain  upon  the 

The  following  claimi  are  in  operation  ,  southwest,  principally  by  Chinese.  Sav- 
whenever  conditions  are  fitting,  narticu-  eral  parties  are  also  working  on  Goat 
larly  the  supply  of  water,  on  which  this,  island  during  such  times  as  they  can  ob- 
interest  is  entirely  dependent;  Hydraulic'  tain  water  from  Little  John  creek.  On 
cl  lims,  forty-seven;  wing  darns,  twenty-  the  Tuolumne  some  work  is  being  done 
two;  drift  claims,  twenty- thre^;  sluicing  by  the  La  Grange  Ditch  and  Hydraulic 
claims,  seven ;  employing  942  operatives.  Mining  Company.  This  company,  about 
This  is  an  underestimate  of  the  actual  twenty  ye;irs  ago,  purchased  the  title  to 
number  of  men  employed  in  the  mines  of:  all  the  gold-bearing  lands  between  La 
Siskiyou  county.  A  larga  number  of  Grange  and  Patricksville,  including 
men  are  engaged  in  prospecting  and  open-.  French  Hill, 
ing  claims  who  have  not  been  taken  imo  SUTTEB. 

account.  jn  the   early    history    of    this    county 

The  quartz  interest  of  the  county  is  yet  pO\a    was    found    in    the    ravines   of  the 
in  an  embryo  slate.     Comparatively  little    Marysville  or   Sutler   buttes,  and  several 
attention  is  paid   to  it,  but  it  is  beginning   thousand     dollars'  worth    oi'     dust    was 
to  assert   itself,  however.     There  now  six-   washed  out.     The  ledge  from  which  tuia 
teen    mills    in    operation,    dropping    120  du9t  came  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
stamps.     As   in   the   case    of    gravel,    the  discovered, 
output  of  gold   from   the   various  mills  is 
extremely    difficult     to    arrive     at.     The 


TEHAMA. 

Little   mining    is    being 


done    in  this 


number  of  men  employed  is  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty — or  one  man  to  a 
stamp.  This  would  "swell  the  number  di- 
rectiy  engaged  in  mining  in  this  county 
to  1062. 

SONOMA. 

Although   Sonoma  is  among  the  fore- 
most vine  and  grain-growing  counties  of) 

the  State,  its  mineral  wealth  is  by  no  posi^  of  chrome  iron  have  been  uevel- 
means  inconsiderable,  both  the  royal  and  Oped.  Gold  has  been  found  in  some  of 
aeveral  of  the  more  common  metals  being  the  streams  that  have  their  rise  in  the 
counted  among  this  class  of  its  Toqr»nr<-.a«  '  -•  —  '  •  ~~<*- 


county  at  present.  In  former  days  some 
river  mining  was  carried  on  in  the  upper 
reaches  of  the  Sacramento  river,  which 
runs  through  the  county,  but  that  has 
pretty  well  ceased,  and  the  only  kind 
done  to  speak  Of  is  near  the  western 
boundary  of  the  county,  in  the  Coast 
Range  mountains,  where  some  large  de- 


Sierra  JSevad*  mountains,  but  it  is  m;;u,  Were  made  to  worlc  thoge  minoa<  but  soon  ; 
years  since  enougn  mining  nas  oeen  done.aDlin(joned 

to  amount  to  anything.  On  Rtittlsshake  Peak  is  a  slate  forma- 

TRINITY.  tion  in  which  is  embedded   great   quanti- 

From  the  very  earliest  history  of  Call-  ties  of  potables  of  mica  slate,  hornblende 
fornia  Trinity  county  has  been  'known  to  »!ate,  quurtz  and  granite;  and  when  this 
be  rich  in  deposits  of  gold,  both  placer  ruck  is  decomposed,  placer  gold  is  found 
and  quartz.  As  early  as  1845  M.-ijor  Red-  in  the  gulches,  showing  it  to  bo  among 
ding  visited  this  section,  and  he  must  the  oldest  of  the  gravel  deposits, 
have  discovered  evidences  of  the  existence  High  in  the  Sierra  near  Mount  Bruner, 
of  gold,  ior  when  Marshall  made  his  dis-,  possibly  in  Inyo  county,  are  a  number  of 
covery  at  Coloma  in  1848,  Redding  at  once  veins  owned  by  Messrs.  D  .llidel  and  Soto, 
set  out  for  the  Trinity  region.  Crossing  which  produce  very  rich  specimens  of  ore 
the  mountains  at  the  head  of  Cotton  wood  bearing  gold,  silver  and  copper.  These 
creek,  he  came  upon  the  Trinity  river  at  have  been  partly  opened  and  some  excel- 
a  point  where  the  creek  now  named  Red-  lent  ore  taken  out,  but  the  inaccessibility 
ding  empties  into  the  Trinity.  QuotiagrOf  the  region  has  prevented  their  develop- 
irom  the  Major:  'ment. 

I  prospected  for  two  days  end  ound  he  bar*:     On  White  river  D.  W.  Grover   of  Santa 
rich  in  gold;  returned  to  my  home  on  Cotton-  Cruz  owns  the  Mammoth  mine,  on  which 
wood,  and  iu  ten  days  fitted  out  an  expedition  he  has  erected  a   five-stamp   mill.     Speci- 
for   mming   purposes;  crossed   the  mountain  ^eng  of  the  ore  8DOW  free   gola<      The  re- 
where  the  travel  passed  two  vears  since  iroin  ..,,if  _f  tha  „.„-!,,•,,,»  haa  n/*t  H*«n  in\A 
Shasta  to  Weaver.    My  party  consisted  of  threeWJ  of  J?^0?1??  ?>as  n^  n     f>    T^t 
white   men,  oue  Delaware,  one   Walla  Walla,      Messrs.  H.  U.,  K.  ±J.  and   U.    D.    .Barton 
one  Chinook,  and  about  sixty  Indians  from  th^and  J.  S.  Butts  have  located  a  long  seriea 
Sacr.-imento  valley.    With  this  force  I  worked  (of  claims  ot  gold-bearing  rock  in  the  vicin- 
the  bar  bearing  my  name.    I  had  with  me  I20^ity  of  Rattlesnake  creekl 
head    of  cattle,  with  an  abundant  supply  of 
other     provisions.      After     six    weeks'    work, 

parties  came  in  from  Oregon,  who  at  once  pro-  Tuolumno  is  one  of  the  leading  mining 
tested  against  my  Indian  labor.  I  then  left  counties,  and  doubtless  always  will  be.  It 
the  stream  and  returned  to  my  home,  where  I  js  crossed  by  the  mother  lode  in  the  west- 
-  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  ern  part)  and  numerous  rich  quartz  de- 
ding  came  prospectors  f^'llf  ^'i' 

ravines  and  gulches,  extracting  the  gold!1* 
from  the  gravel  and  .and.  by  the  rocker,  ^in^™  SSta  ^is  about ^onty 
torn  and  sluice  Tne  evidence  ot  these  granch  c^rpied  on  to  |ny  extent,  tnough 
early  workings  can  be  seen  along  the -Bomethi ng  j a  still  dono  in  tne  primitive 
course  of  almost  every  streamlet,  creek,  ^  ki  ^  ,acer  depO8its.  This  county 
gulch  and  ravine  tributary  to  the  Trinity.  ^  th  ?mm&i&iQ  vicipllity  of  Sonora-that 
The  wealth  of  rnniiy  county  »  in  its  j  t  wilhin  aradiujof  8everal  miles 

gravels,  the  ancient  channel  and  the  hieh  _j        ^t'6d    f        the  t     number     of 

benches    of   present    waterways.     Quartz  „  ocketsu  o|       u    thaf  hay§  been  taken 
vem.s  carrying  cold  are    being   prospected     £u     Bald  MSuntnin,  and  in   the  vicinity 
irKea  in  amerent    sections,     utuers  '   *  *»,«   T7^n.n..    n->inA     x«va   rn.nri,t**A  <• 


i 

jnd  wored  m  different   sections.     Others        ih     Bonanzai  minef   have  produced  a 
that  hnve  been   opened    and    worked    for  t       number    of   pockets,    varying   in 

several  years  have  yielded  and    are   yield-  «alue  from  a  fow  hundpred  doilara  to  ^any 
ing  handsome  returns  to  the  owners.  thousands,  than  any  other  mining  eection 

There  are  seventy-four  hydraulic  mines  in  the  worid.     '.Jackass  Hill,"  about  four 

in  this  county,  and  whenever  the  re  is  suf-       Uei  nortnwMt  in  an  air  line  from  Sonora, 

ficient  water  a  large  amount  of  gold  is  ex-  is  ajgo  a  noted  pocket  distriot.    The  chief 

tracted-  of  ail  the  noted  reins  of  this  character  is 

TULARE.  undoubtedly  the  Bonanza.    In  the  neigh- 

Of  the  streams  that  drain  the  western  borhood  of  $2,000,000  have  be'en  taken 
slope  of  the  mouniains  in  Tulare  county  frora  this  mine,  and  the  judgment  of  ex- 
only  two  of  any  size  have  failed  to  yield  pemnced  miners  in  thia  branch  oi  mining 
placer  gold.  These  streams  are  the  Ka-  {s  that  ail  "signs"  indicate  further  suc- 
weah  and  the  Tule  rivers.  North  of  thelcesBeain  it  in  the  near  future.  The  fissure 
White  river  there  is  scarcely  any  evidence t  $8  twelve  feet  in  width,  and  contains  three 
of  early  prospecting  to  be  met  with.  But  -veins  of  quartz;  the  foot  wail  yein  is  about 
on  the  head  waters  of  the  middle  fork  oft  jOur  inches  in  width,  the  hanging  wall 
the  Kaweah  is  Miners!  King  district,  vein  about  the  same  width,  and  the  middle 
sixty  miles  northeast  of  Visulia  by  road,  Vein  averages  thirteen  inches, 
the  discovery  of  which  created  a  great  ex-  There  are  a  great  many  pocket  mines 
citement  nearly  twenty  years  ago.  There,  feeing  worked  oa  Bald  mountain,  the 
was  no  placer  gold  reported,  but  there;  principal  ones  being  the  Ford,  the  Aus- 
were  many  mineral-bearing  veins  claimed  trian,  the  Wilson,  the  Garrett,  and  the 
to  be  rich  in  gold,  silver,  lead  and  zinc  in  gugarman.  Ail  have  had  varying  results, 
veins  ot  limestone.  About  1875-76  efforts*  Quartz  claims  are  being  worked  in  many 

_;_ . __ 


r:8  of  TocinM1  >--e 

opportunities  in  this  lino  are  cxt»n  . 

VENTURA. 

Besides  other  minerals  Ventura  county 
contains  deposits  of  gold  which  are  of  no 
•mall  importance.  Host  of  these  are 
found  in  the  Peru  district,  which  is  sev- 
eral miles  in  extent,  the  most  important 
portion  lying  in  Ventura  county.  Gold 
Was  discovered  here  long  before  the  gold 
exciiement  of  1849.  Professor  Whitney 
Bays  it  was  somewhere  in  this  vicinity 
that  gold  was  first  obtained  in  California 
in  considerable  quantity,  and  that  was  as 
early  as  1841.  M.  Duflot  de  Mofras  says 
that  the  locality  was  in  the  mountains  six 
leagues  from  San  Fernando  and  fifteen 
leagues  from  Los  Angeles  where  gold  was 
first  discovered.  Bancroft  make/a  men- 
tion of  the  fact  of  this  locality  having  been 
worked  more  or. less  during  the  first  half 
of  the  present  century.  It  is  evident  that 
tho  yield  of  gold  and  silver  at  this  locality 
has  amounted  to  a  large  sum  in  the  ag- 
gregate. 

The  principal  lode  in  the  Piru  district  is 
called  the  Frnser  mine.  During  the  time 
it  was  worked,  a  period  of  eight  years, 
until  October  81,  1879,  because  of  litiga- 
tion arising  from  disputed  ownership,  it  is 
believed  to  have  yielded  about  $1,000,000 
in  gold.  The  difficulty  is  now  said  to  be 
on  the  eve  of  settlement,  and  it  will  be 
worked  by  improved  methods  and  on  a 
larger  scale  than  heretofore. 
YOLO. 

Placer  mining  has  been  carried  on  in  a 
small  way  along  the  foot  of  the  Coast  Range 
in  Yolo  county,  and  quartz,  that  by  assay 
showed  a  small  amount  of  gold  and  silver, 
is  said  to  have  been  discovered  tarther 


pieted. 

In  the  Smartsville  mines  the  gravel 
channel  runs  north,  nearly  parallel  with 
the  present  Yuba  river.  Tfie  bedrock  is 
Very  uneven;  it  is  for  the  most  part  a 
trap  rock.  The  lowest  part  of  the  channel 
8  ?u0t  Je/y  wide  and  seeras  to  be  u  fissure 
in  the  bedrock,  possibly  the  top  of  a  quartz 
vom.  The  bowlders  on  the  bottom  are 
extremely  large;  the  gravel  is  a  blackish 
blue  cement,  with  occasional  layers  be- 
tween of  soft  gray  sandstone.  A  number 
°f  <luartz  mines  have  been  worked  in 
diflerent  parts  of  the  countv,  but  little  is 
doing  at  present. 

SILVER 


RICH  DEPOSITS    IN    WIDEL*  8JSJFA- 
KATJ£D     SECTIONS. 


Ihe  Mines  of  Inyo,  Mono  and  Alpine— 
The  Calico  and  Other  Desert  Camps 
—A  Remarkable  Silver  Mine  in 
Shasta  Connty  —  How  Silver  Was 
First  Discovered— Depression  of  the 
Industry. 

History  shows  that  from  the  most  re- 
irote  period  down  to  within  a  very  short 
time  the  money  of  the  world  was  silver, 
and  that  metal  was  the  universal  basis  oi 
;the  measurement  of  values.  Up  to  the 
time  of  the  discovery  of  America  it  is  esti- 
mated that  the  entire  amount  of  the 


struggling  existence  near  tho  mouth  Of.j*».w.w«.  «iot  to  1803  Gallatin,  an  ac- 
Putah  creek.  Some  sluicing  is  also  occa-  Iknowledged  authority  on  such  matters, 
Sionally  done  in  the  foothills  to  the  west  says  that  the  total  product  of  the  mines  of 
of  the  Orleans  vineyard,  near  Capay,  dur-  'the  new  world,  including  the  amount  ex- 
ing  the  winter  when  water  is  plentiful,  ]r0r ted  to  Europe  end  (hat  retained  in 


.,  ...  American  mines  in  full,  from  1804  to  1830, 
«nepartTon™S,  a  few  «t  $750,000,000;  the  product  of  Siberi,  .1 
Of  the  largest  and  most  extensively  de-  $100,000,000;  that  of  African  gold  coast  at 
Velopsd  hydraulic  mines  in  the  State.  $4 50, 000, 000;  of  tho  mines  of  Europe,  $300,- 
Bome  of  these  have,  in  the  last  few  years,  000, OOu  a  year.  If  we  add  to  this  product 
been  developing  into  drift  mines.  Tho  tfc0  $300,000,000  existing  in  Europe  prior 
"f^'h^v *h  Q.fre  alonSthes™thern  bank  to  tbe  digcovery  of  America,  we  find  a 
Bma'rtsTme?  Sher."  part^heCeta^  •'«*  total  of  $7,200,000,000.  Allowing  for 
Was  traced  as  far  as  Timbuctoo;  there  it  *he  loss  by  friction  and  accidents,  imper- 
appeared  to  have  been  raised  up  and  cut  feet  though  the  data  of  information  be, 
off,  at  least  it  was  never  found  beyond  Mr.  Gallatin  thought  it  safe  to  affirm  in 
that  point.  Towards  the  northeastern  ig30  tnat  it  certaiuly  exceeded  four  thou- 


good  Quarts  veins  are  being  developed, 
and  the  one  time  extensive  mining  camp 
of  Brown's  Valley  will  assume  a  more 
active  attitude  «s  soon  as  the  large  cannl 
that  is  being  taken  out  of  the  Yuba  river 
and  is  to  come  to  that  camp  has  h°-n  com- 

i 


ons.  Of  the  medium,  or  $4,500,000,000,  he 
leld  that  one-third  to  two-fifths  was 
ised  as  currency,  and  the  residue  to  con- 
in  of  plate,  jewels  and  other  raanufuc- 
ured  articles.  01  the  $4, 500, 000, 000,  the  pre- 
mmed  then  remaining  amount  in  gold  and 


,«Yer,  he  considered  that   the  proportion 
of  gold  was   considerably  greater  ou    ac- 
count  of  tbo    exportation    to    India  and 
China  having  b^en   exclusively   in  silver, 
and    of    the    greater    care    in  preventing 
ever}'  possible  w  'Ste  in  an   article  so  valu- 
able.    "As   the   regularity  of  the   annual 
supply  of  the  precious  metals  is  not,"  said 
Mr.   Gallatin,  "affected    by    the  seasons, 
the  changes  in  the  amount  of  the  last  two 
centuries   (preceding    1830)    were  general 
and  hardly  sensible  year  by  year;  but  the 
change   which   took"  place    from    1810   to 
1830  was  greater  than    had   been  experi- 
enced   since    the     revolution     in    values 
caused   by   the    discovery    of    America." 
The      annual     supply      of      the      mines 
of     America,     Asia"     and      Europe     had 
reached      its      highest      point      between 
1803  and  1810,   and  amounted  then   to  $50- 
000,000,    or    to   about  1^   per  cent  of   the 
whole  quantity   of  precious  metals   then  ' 
existing  in  Europe  and  America.     The  re- 
volts against   the   Spanish  rule  in   South 
America  broke  up  the   uniformity   of  the 
|  supply  and  reduced  the  total  annual  out- 
put to  about  $27.000,000,    or,    say,   3-5  per  L 
cent  of  the  total  amount  existing  in  1830. 
Stating  in  a  tabular   form  the   product^  of 
America  as  given   by  Humboldt,  we   find 
the  yearly  product  to    have    been:  1492  to  . 
1500)  an  average   of  $250. 000;    1500  to  1515,  v 
an  average  of  $3,OOU,000;    1545   to  1600,  an 
average  of  $11.000,000;   1600  to  1700,  an  av- 
oratre  of  $16,000,000;   1700  to  1750,  an  av- 
erage of  $25.500.000;    1750  to  1803,  an  av- 
er go  of  $36, 300, 000;  and  later  by  Gallatin:  , 
1803  to  1810,  an  average  of  $50.000,000;  1810 
to  1830,  an  average  of  $27,000,000. 

Mr.  Gallatin  died  in  1818,  on  the  very 
eve  of  the  discovery  of  the  goldfields  of 
California,  which  occurred  in  January, 
1849.  In  1830  Mr.  Gallatin  wrote,  "Specie 
is  a  foreign  product,"  that  is  not  native  in 
quantities  to  American  soil. 

Chevalier  tells  us  that  in  the  866  years 
from  1492  to  1858  there  had  been  produced 
£401,580  sterling  value  of  pure  gold.  And 
that  then  (1858)  Europe  was  receiving  in 
a  single  year  one-tenth  of  the  total  amount 
sent  trom  the  departure  of  Columbus  to 
1848.  The  effect  of  this  great  output  on 
the  relative  value  of  gold  as  compared 
with  silver  was,  however,  broken  by  the 
interposition  of  France,  which,  opening 
her  doors  to  gold,  passed  from  a  silver  to  a 
gold  standard,  and  acted  as  a  parachute  to 
break  the  fall  of  gold.  "Silver,"  Hum- 
boldt says,  uhad  for  2000  years  moved 
from  west  to  east.''  Ha  added,  "The  pre- 
cious mettils  move  in  the  opposite  direction 
to  civilization."  In  this  conversion  Franca 
was  greatly  aided  by  a  sudden  demand  for 
silver  from  the  far  East,  BO  that  the 
Peninsular  and  Oriental  line  transported 
in  the  year  1856  £12,118,985  (over  $60,000,- 
000),  and  in  the  year  1857  £16,795,232 
(nearly  $84,000,000)  against  £17, 000 in  1851. 
From  1851  to  1861  £110,000,000  value  of 
silver  passed  to  India  by  the  Isthmus  of 
Suez.  Chevalier  was  greatly  alarmed  at 
this  policy,  and  feared  the  consequences 
to  France  of  a  fall  in  gold  should  the  sup- 
ply continue.  To-day  the  alarm  is  in  the 
other  direction,  a  consequence  of  the  vast 


amount  of  silver  since  discovered  in  Ne-  ! 
vad'i  and  Colorado. 

From  1851  to  1871  £500,000  and  $12,500,- 
000,000,  an  amount  of  gold  equal  to  the 
entire  existing  stock,  was  adaed  to  the 
world's  treasure. 

.  Up  to  1870  the  production  of  silver 
hardly  varied  from  £8,000. 000  to  £9,000,000 
Value  annually  ($40,00'J,000  to  $45,000,000). 
This  was  princip  illy  supplied  by  Mexico 
!|  and  Spain,  where  "the  silver  mines  had 
from  early  times  been  of  extreme  rich- 
ness. In '1825  they  svera  again  worked 
with  great  success,  and  in  1839  the  Bier;  A 
Almagrera  veins  began  to  yield  large 
amounts  annually.  In  1870  the  amount 
suddenly  increased  to  £15,000,000  value, 
and  so "  remained  for  five  years,  one- 
half  of  the  amount  coining  from  Nevada 
alone.  Germany,  in  1871,  and  Scandi- 
navia took  the  alarm,  and  following  the 
example  ot  France  passed  to  the  single 
standard  of  gold.  The  Latin  Union  lim- 
ited their  common  coinage  of  silver,  and 
England  dealt  a  last  and  heavy  blow  by 
beginning  a  system  of  drawing  India 
bills. 

Humboldt  estimated  the  entire  annual 
product  of  Europe,  Asia,  Russia  and 
the  American  continent  at  two  millions 
four  hundred  and  eighty-four  thousand 
pounds,  or  twelve  millions  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars  of  gold  sent  into  Chris- 
tendom, which  continued  until  1848. 

In  1850  the  mean  sum  furnished  to  the 
Christian  states  was  £37,950,000  sterling, 
or  $190,000.000.  On  silver,  wrote  Cheva- 
lier at  this  time,  there  had  been  lit- 
tle change;  the  product  at  the  beginning 
of  the  century  had  been  a  little  under 
eight  millions  of  pounds  sterling  (£7,635,- 
OUO),  and  in  1859  was  slightly  less  than 
nine  million  pounds  sterling  (£8,880,000). 
The  falling  off  in  South  America  occa- 
sioned by  the  political  disturbances  and 
the  filling  of  the  Potosi  mines  with  vast 
amounts  of  water  balanced  the  increase 
in  the  product  of  old  Spain. 

In  the  decade  from  1871  to  1880,  both 
years  inclusive,  the  goid  product  of  the 
United  States  was  $846,862,368,  an  annual 
average  of  $34600,000.  In  t!;e  decade 
from  1881  to  1880  the  goid  product  was 
$320,010,725,  an  annual  average  of  $32. 000,- 
000;  a  total  in  the  twenty  years  of  $666,- 
379,093,  an  annual  average  for  that  period 
o:  $33,500,000.  To  bring  these  figures  to 
present  date,  the  product  of  gold  in  1891 
was  $31,555,116.  The  total  product  since 

1871,  twenty-one  years,  sums  up  $'897,928,- 
209.      The   fluctuations  o!    product    have 
been  from  $18,000,000,  the  lowest  point,  in 

1872,  to  $48,000,000,  the    highest   point,    in 
1878. 

In  the  decade  from  1871  to-  1880,  both 
ye.trs  Inclusive,  the  silver  product  of  the 
United  States  was  $184,000,000,  an  annual 
average  of  eighteen  and  four-tenths  mill- 
ions. In  the  decade  from  1881  to  1890  the 
silver  product  was  $335,000,000,  an  annual 
average  of  thirty-three  ami  on«-half  mill- 
ions; a  total  in  twonly  years  of  $519,000,- 
000.  It  is  hardly  worth  while  to  pursue 

l 


d  iisphalt  of  varying 
below  which,  how- 
ua  far  sunk,  there  is 
urn,  apparently  un- 

unk  in  a  number  of 
hoary  black  oil  ob- 

ntitiea.     Experiment 

oil  is  abouu  90  per 
and  a  commence- 
in  refining  this  for 

-rises  to  become  an 
ble  industry. 


LKUM. 

|iird      Oll-Froduoinfir 
he  Union. 

the   third  petrolenm 
the  Union,    ranking 
and  New  York,  still 
here   falls  far  short 
^ier    of  those   States, 
olden    State   makes  a 
t  that  affords  promise 
it  it  is  not  impossible 
i  tne  head  of  the  list, 
petroleum    on    this 
iwn    for    over    thirty 
orable     oil     excite- 
ies   in  Pennsylvania 
ifornia,  and   compa- 
by   ttio   score  for  the 
(oil   measures    which 
i?  the  coast  all  the  way 
Ireka.  A  vast  amount 
nl  in  machinery   and 
but    the  absence    of 
|  too  heavy  a   handi- 
;nt  speedily  died   out 
n    of   the  expected 
so  fondly    antici- 

:rry  and   disappoint- 
then  ten  or  a  dozen 
ig  mori  again  stepped 
ifficulties  in  the  way 
sen  removed   opera- 
with   the   result  ai- 
ving    California    the 
i  he  petroleum  pro- 
Jnion. 
are  confined  to  the 


Deposits   by    No   Moans    ICxuausted— 
Abundance  of  Low-Grade  Ore. 


The  history  of  mining  in  Nevada  is  al- 
most coequal  with  that  of  California,  gold 
and  silver  having  both  been  discovered  in 
that  State,  then  a  part  of  the  Territory  of 
Utah,  in  1849.  In  July  of  that  year  good 
placers  were  found  in  the  ravines  tributary 
to  Carson  valley,  while  many  of  the  emi- 
grants who  passed  through  this  section  in 
that  year  en  route  for  the  California  dig- 
gings found  gold  in  different  localities, 
but  paid  little  attention  thereto,  as  they 
expected  to  find  far  richer  diggings  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Sierra  Nevada. 

Several  years  passed  before  any  par- 
ticular attention  was  paid  to  the  Nevada 
mines,  and  it  was  not  until  the  discovery 
of  the  famous  Corastock  lode  that  the 
mining  history  of  Nevada  actually  began. 
Some  little  gold  mining  had  been  done  at 
Gold  canyon  during  the  first  few  years 
alter  the  breaking  out  of  the  mining  ex- 
citement in  California,  but  no  one  sus- 
pected the  existence  of  silver.  In  1853 
two  brothers  named  Grosch  visited  Gold 
canyon  and  there  found  ore,  which  they 
said  they  believed  to  be  silver.  These 
men  endeavored  to  raise  capital  with 
which  to  work  this  ore,  but  died  before 
being  able  to  <io  so. 

In  1857  gold  placers  were  discovered  in 
Six-mile  c  nyon,  a  short  distance  below 
the  site  of  Virginia  City,  and  among  those 
who  took  up  claims  well  tow«rd  the  head 
of  that  canyon  were  two  men  named  Fen- 
nimore  and  Cornstock.  The  tirst  was 
better  known  us  "Old  Virginia,"  and  from 
the.se  two  individuals  came  the  names 
which  were  destined  to  have  a  world- 
wido  reputation.  While  searching  for 
gold  these  miners  were  frequently  both- 
ered by  the  presence  of  pieces  ot 
some  other  heavy  metallic  substance  of 
whoso  nature  they  were  unaware,  and  it 
was  not  until  some  one  more  curious  than 
his  fellows  took  a  sample  of  this  metal  to 
Placerville,  in  California,  and  had  it  as- 
sayed that  the  fact  was  disclosed  that  it 
was  enormously  rich  silver  ore. 

As  soon  as  tnis  became  known,  w  hich 
was  in  the  summer  of  1859,  the  famous 
Washoe  rush  commenced,  and  in  the 
space  of  a  month  or  two  a  town  of  up- 
wards of  40i>0  population  had  gathered, 
arastras  and  theu  stamp  mills  wvere  put 
up  in  numbers,  and  some  ot  the  great 
Comstock  lode  began  to  yield  its  millions 
At  first  much  of  the  ore  was  hauled  to 
California  for  reduction  in  the  quartz  mill* 
of  that  State,  but  this  soon  proved  too  ex 


GOLD      AND       SILVER      FOUND 
ABUNDANCE. 


Hostile  Indians  Preventing  the  De 
opment  of  Mine*  for  a  Centnr] 
More— liewards  Awaiting  £nterp 


It  is  over  a  century  and  a  half  since 
first  authentic  historical  account 
given  of  the  discovery  of  precioua  m 
in  the  region  now  known  as  Arizona 
a  true  tradition  from  the  tirst  adven 
the  Spanish  conquerors  into  Mexicc 
signed  to  this  locality  the  existenc 
gold  and  silver  mines  of  fabulous 
ness,  but  it  was  not  until  1736  that 
thing  definite  was  discovered  and  g 
to  the  world.  In  that  year  a  very 
silver  deposit  known  as  Boles  de  I 
was  found  at  Arizona,  and  the  Je 
who  controlled  that  region  are  sal 
have  opened  some  immensely  rich  m 

But  while  this  section  was  know 
possess  valuable  deposits  of  gold  an 
ver,  its  remoteness  and  the  fact  tb 
was  largely  overrun  with  tribes  of  < 
and  bloodthirsty  Indians  prevented 
systematic  working  or  exploration 
over  a  hundred  years. 

It    was  not    until    after    the    G"^ 
treaty,     which    gave    Arizona    and    3 
Mexico   to   the   United    States,    that  j- 
mines  of  Arizona  commenced   to   be 
veloped,  and  evan  then  the    Indians 
so  troublesome  that   the   miners   lite 
took  their  lives  in  their  hands. 

In  1855  and  1856  the  silver  mlnei 
Tubac  were  worked  by  Americans,  as 
many  deposits  in  the  mountains  bo 
ing  the  Santa  Cruz  valley.  Gold  pi 
were  found  a  year  or  two  later  or 
lower  Gila  and  afterward  on  the  Color 
which  attracted  many  prospectors, par 
larly  to  the  northwestern  part  of  the 

"Many  quartz  deposits  were   also   fo 
and  it  soon  became  known   that  An 
was  blessed  with  an  abundance  of  the 
cious  metals,  but  the  fear  of  the   Apr 
kept  the   miners  from   undertaking 
thing  like   systematic  development, 
for  vears  prospectors   were  obliged 
about  their  work  with  a  pick  in  one 
and  a  gun  in  the  other. 

In   1874,   however,     the    Apaches 
conquered  and  driven  from  a  large  pi 
the  territory,  and  at  once  an  era  of 
opment  set  in,  though  handicapped 
of  transportation  facilities  and  by  resu 

:n 


-*—•*'. 


:3STJGS    IN    THE    TJNTTEr) 


'.*.— 


the  annual  average  when  such  a  difference 
appears  between  the  outputs  of  the  two 
decades.  To  bring  the  fieures  to  the  latest 
date  we  add  the  product  of  silver  for  1891, 
w'tich  i<  found  in  the  startling  figures  of 
$56,000,000,  and  brings  up  the  #rand 
total  to  the  vast  sum  of  $575,- 
000,000.  The  change  which  has 
taken  place  in  the  product  of  this 
metal  is  certainly  as  extraordinary  as 
th  it  which  followed  the  California  discov- 
ery of  gold.  The  output  rose  from  one 
and  three-tenths  millions  in  the  year  1870 
to  thmv-two  millions  in  1880,  and  fifty- 
six  millions  in  1891,  without  important 
breaks  in  the  steady  progression. 

The  fiscal  year  closed  Jane  30,  1891,  was  ^ 
startling  in"  its  product  in  the  United 
States.  That  of  gold  dropped  to  a  low 
average  point — thirty-one  millions;  while 
the  silver  product  leaped  over  50  per  cent 
over  the  largest  issue  in  the  twenty-one 
years  stated — namely,  from  thirty-eight 
millions  in  1888  to  fifty-six  millions  in 
1891  (in  precise  figures,  1889,  $37,874,260; 
in  1891,  $56,295,195). 

Being  so  wholly  absorbed  in  searching 
after  and  gathering   gold,  the  inhabitants 
of  California  paid   no  attention  whatever 
to  silver  mining  the  first  decade  of  the 
mining  era.     There  were,  to   lie  sure,  tra- 
ditions among  the  native  Californians  of 
silver    ores    having    been    found    in    the 
country  prior  to  its  occupation  by  Ameri- 
cans,   Alisal,    in   Monterey  county,    being 
the  site  of  one  of   these    reputed    silver 
fields.     As   these   Alisal  ores    have    since 
been  shown  to  be  poor  and  scanty,  it  may 
fairly  be   presumed   that  no  argentiferous 
deposits  of  any  great  value  were  ever  met 
with  in  California  prior  to  the  transfer  to 
the  United  States   and  not  tor  about  four- 
teen years  thereafter.     That  our  pioneer 
miners,   with  so   little  to  encourage  them, 
were  not  much  inclined  to  hunt  after  sil- 
ver so  long  as  the   more   royal  metal  con- 
tinued tolerably   plentiful,    may   wall   be 
supposed.     Not,    therefore,    until  the  dis- 
covery ot  the   great  Cornstock  lode,  with 
its  great  promiae  of  silver,  was  the  atten- 
tion of  our  people  strongly  directed  to  the 
•  business  of  seeking  alter   and  mining  for 
that  metal,  and  ev»n  after  the  occurrence 
of    that    event     most    of     the    explora- 
tions carried  on  and    the    mining    opera- 
tions engaged  in    were    for    several  years 
conducted  outside  the  limits  of  this  State. 
It  w;is  in  the  summer  of  1881  that  Nevada 
prospectors  for   silver,  who   were  working 
aouth  of  the  Comstock  lode,    made   their 
way  over  the   line    into    California.     The 
country  first  explored    by  them  consisted 
ot    the    territory    at     present    embraced 
in  Alpine   and    Mono   counties,    th<a   still 
more  extensive  region  lying  further  south 
and  constituting  Inyo  county,  not  having 
been   reached   until  a  year   or  two  later. 
The   silver   fields  covering   these   several 
counties  includes  all  that  part  of  California 
extending  from  the  summit  of  the  Sierra 
Nevadas  to  the   eastern    boundary  of  the 
State,    a      tract    comprising    more    thin 
10, 000  square   miles,  its   length    being  200 
and   its   average   breadth  fully  50  miles. 
[  It  is   an  elevated,  rugged,  dryland  barren 


region,     and,    except    along    the    eastern' 
slopes  of  the   Sierras,  contains  very  little  , 
timber.     Not  only   the  higher  mountains  I 
and    their  outlying  ridges,   but  also   the  i 
isolate;!  foothills   throughout   this   tier  of 
counties  abound  with  mineral  veins  carry- 
ing  both    the    precious    and   the    useful 
metals.     While  many  of  these  veins  con- 
tain  little   ore  ov  only  ore  of  a  very  low 
grade    others    are  powerful,  regular  and 
heavily       mineralized,      currying      large 
bunches  r.nd  even   considerable  bodies   of 
high  grade  ores. 

It  was  in  Inyo  county  that  the  first  dis- 
coveries of  silver  were  made.     The  region 
was  first    visited    by    prospectors   in  1860 
who  were  looking  for   gold.    .Tnt.  couniry 
then  explored  lying  to  the  east,  south  ana 
west.ot  Owens'  lake.     Owing  to  the  hostil- 
ity   of   the    Indiana    operations    had    to 
be  suspend-ed  and  the  country  was   tem- 
porarily  abandoned.      Bishop    creek,    an 
agricultural  valley,  r.ivl  Owens  valley  were 
settled  in  January,  1862.     From  that  time 
until  1865  Indian   attacks  were   frequent 
and  it  was  win   great   difficulty   that   the 
prospecting  was  carried  on.     The  country 
proved  to  be  exceedingly  rich  in  mineral 
deposits.     After  1SG5  the  business  of  min- 
ing was  successiully  c.srricd  on  at  several 
different  points  of  the  county.     The  most 
active   and    largely    productive   localities 
since    huve    been    the   Cerro  Gordo,  BRV- 
eridge,    Deep   Springs,    Darwin,    Bishop's 
creek  :>mi  Panamint  districts.     The  value 
of  the  bullion  taam   out  of  these  several 
counties   amounts   probably  to  a   total  of 
$15,000,000,  most  of  which  was  the  product 
of    the    Cerro     Gc.^do    mines.     For  some 
years  little  has  been  done  here,  though  of 
late  there  has   been  -a  slight  revival,  and 
withjbetter  prices  for  ijiiver  a  large  develop- 
ment would  certainly -occur. 

The  liiatory  of  silv  -r  mining  in  Alpine 
county,  where  the  business  h  >s   been  car- 
ried  on   since  1861   is 'altogether  unfortu- 
nate,   the   product  of  bullion  having  ap- 
parently been  in  the  ir  verse   ratio  of  the, 
labor     and      capital      expended    on    the 
mines.        No      portion       of     the      trans- 
Sierra  California  is  so  favorably  situated 
us    regards      access    and      facilities     for 
cheap  mining  and  ore  reduction  as  Alpine 
county.     A  good  level    wagon   road   con- 
nects  the   mining  districts   with   Carson 
City,  fifty  miles  distant.     All  supplies  for 
ij  these   mines,    machinery   included,  could 
"  therefore  be   obtained  during  this  time  at 
,'.  comparatively   low    ratos.       The    mining 
districts  of  Alpine  abound  with  wood  ana 
;    water,  a  considerable  portion  of  them  being 
i    covered  with  large    forests,  while  a   num- 
j    her  of  large  streams  flow  centrally  through 
i  them,  affording  much  w.  ter.    The  moun- 
tains in  which  the   mineral-bearing  veins 
occur  are  for   the   moat  part   very  steep, 
making  it  possible  to  open  up  these  veins 
to  a  great   depth   by   means  of  compara- 
tively siiort  tunnels."    The  Director  of  the 
Mint  spoke  thus  concerning  these  mine.?: 
'•The  mining  interests  of  Alpine    county 
still  remain,  to  a   great  extent,  neglected 
by  capitalists',  although  the  showing  it  of 


CO  70] 

ties  for  reaching  thorn  are  the  most  favor- 
able. The  climita  cannot  be  excelled.  A 
,'?reat  abundance  of  wood  and  water,  all 
,  these  facilities  for  working  our  mines 
Cheaply  and  profitably,  see:n  rather  to 
deter  rninincr  men  frora  coming  here,  and 
instead,  seek  investments  in  more  inac- 
cessible and  disadvantageous  regions." 

The  most  important  silver  mines  in  this 
State  are  locate  !  in  San  Bernardino  county, 
in    what  is   known    as   the  Calico  region. 
Although  silver  was   known    to    exist    in 
this  region  many  years  ago,  it  was  not  un- 
til 1881  chat  a  systematic  effort  was  made 
to  work  the  deposits.     In  nu  place  hereto- 
fore discovered  have  tha   precious   metals 
been  found  under  conditions  so   favorable 
for  extraction.  The  mineral  extends  about 
live  miles  to  the  east  and  west    and    three 
or    four    to    the    north   of  the  central  ore 
bodies.  The  pay  matter  in  most  instances 
starts  at  the  surface,  and  i'n    tha   shape  of 
gr  sy    or  greenish  chlorides   of  silver,  in 
vast  irregular   bodies  of  decomposed  ore 
at  the  surface,  having  a  depth    of  twenty 
to  forty    feet,    and    continuing    in    those 
mines    most    developed    in     well-defined 
pipes  or  chimneys  of  considerable   width 
to  the   bottom  of   the   sump,  notably   in 
1  the    Silver    King,  which    has    reached    a  I 
depth  ot, aver  60D  feet,  with  one   wall  per-  ' 
foctly  developed,  and  a  width  of  100  ie?t.  i 
The    dolomites    of    this   region    are  very 
profitable    producers    of     chlorides     and 
bromides  of  silver,  which  are  abundantly 
found,  necessitating   the  addition  of  pans 
and  wastes  to   the  ordinary  stamp  mill, 
and    rendering    concentration    somewhat 
difficult.     The    formation   includes   chlo- 
ritic    schist,   highly  decomposed,   stained 
by       peroxide       of       iron,        in       some 
cases    apparently    the     result     of     infil- 
tration, and  others  evidently  from  the  de- 
composition of  sulphuret  of  iron.     Much 
red  jasper  interUminated    with    crystal- 
line mater  is  found,  particularly  on  "Wall 
street."     Large  quantities  of  mineralized 
porphyry    giving    fine    results    from  pan 
tests  are  found  in  tho  decomposed  strata, 
running  in    every    direction,    from    one- 
quarter  of  an  inch  to  many   feet  in  width, 
and  yielding  $15  to  $1.00  per  ton,  often  run- 
ning enormously    high.     So   friable  is  the 
ore  that  a  sin^la    blast    will  often  detach 
many  tons.     The  surface  is   quite  rolling 
ana  everywhere  cut  by   ravines.     The  ore 
is  often    rained   by    open    cu  s    after  the 
fashion  .of   quarries,  a?  in  the  Bismarck, 
Oriental  and  others  of  tha  east  group,  and 
can  easily  be  crushed  in  the  hands.    Grav- 
ity tramways  materially  reduce    the  cost 
o i  extraction. 

Basides  the  Calico  mines  silver  is  also 
found  at  raanv  other  places  in  the  desert 
region  of  San  Bernardino  county,  some  of 
the  deposits  having  beon  worked  success- 
fully aa  far  back  as  1861.  At  present, 
however,  very  little  work  is  being  done  in 
these  mines,  the  low  price  of  silver  and 
unfavorable  legislation  preventing  cap - 
talists  from  taking  much  interest  in  their 
development.  In  a  recently  published  in- 
terview a  prominent  mining  expert  spoke 


|  thus  in  regard  to  the  Calico  mines:  "The 
rapid  decline  in  the  price  of  silver  is  hav- 
'  ing  a  direct  and  disastrous  effect  on  one 
(Af,-  PnnciPal  industries  of  Southern 
Cahforni.,  that  of  silver  mining.  For 
years  past  Calico  mining  district  has  been 
the  foremost  producer  of  the  white  metal 
in  California,  but  the  great  depreciation 
m  silver  has  resulted  in  the  closing  of 
the  greatest  silver  producer  in  the  State 
ihe^  Wrtterloo  mine. 

This  bonanza  was  discovered  several 
years  ago  and  was  developed  by  the 
Waterloo  company  to  such  an  extent  as 
to  earn  the  re  mi  ation  of  being  the  °reat- 
eat  silver  mine  in  California.  For°vears 
two  mills,  one  of  fifteen  and  one  of  sixty 
stamps,  had  been  continuously  at  work 
crushing  the  ores  of  the  great  Waterloo 
properties,  ^ver  200  tons  every  twentv- 
lour  hours  were  mined  and  shipped  from 
the  vast  ore  bodies  o.nd  crushed  in  the 
company's  mills  at  Daggett.  These  oper- 
ations gave  employment  to  upward  of  150 
m?n.  The  ores,  though  very  free,  were 
low  grade,  and  in  the  large  amount  of 
material  handled  laid  the  secret  of  profit 
and  success.  The  low  price  of  silver, 
however,  has  resulted  in  tne  closing  down 
o(  mines  and  miila,  and  to-day  Calico 
and  Dageett,  both  of  which  towns  were 
recovering  from  the  ravages  of  lire,  «re 
stagnant  and  almost  deserted.  The 
miners  have  left  for  other  and  more  pros- 
perous camps,  and  those  vrho  remain  are 
looking  forward  to  a  brighter  day  or  are 
seeking  means  to  migrate  to  othe'r  parts. 
It  ha*  been  a  great,  blow  to  the  silver  'min- 
ing industry  of  tho  State,  and  every  one 
interested  in  mining  looks  forward 
anxiously  to  a  rise  in  tne  price  of  silver. 

Of  the  other  mines*  of  Calico,  those  of 
the  Silver  King  Company  are  working, 
and  a  large  number  of  miners  are  "chlo- 
riding"  the  richer  pockets,  for  which  the 
Calico  district  has  always  been  famous. 
Should  the  price  of  silver  again  go  above 
90  cents,  doubtless  the  mines  now  lying 
idle  will  resume  operations. 

Not  only  is  tha  effect  of  low-priced  sil- 
ver ielt  in  Calico,  but  in  every  other  sil- 
ver mining  district  in  the  btate.  A  great 
many  men  are  leaving  for  Southern  Ne- 
vada, or  have  scattered  out  over  the  desert 
on  prospecting  trips,  and  there  is  little 


on  prospecting  trips,  and  there  is  little 
doubt  that  some  of  these  men,  forced  by 
nt-cessity  to  abandon  what  they  considered 
permanent  positions,  will  find  other 
mines,  and  the  final  result  may  be  more 
satisfactory  than  any  had  hoped  for. 

Oiie  of  the  most  remarkable  silver  de- 
posits on  the  coast  is  located  near  the 
town  of  Shasta,  in  the  county  of  that 
name.  It  is  known  as  the  Iron  Mountain 
and  has  been  worked  successfully  for  sev- 
eral years.  The  mine  has  a  twenty-stamp 
mill  constantly  at  work,  and  large  ship- 
•nonts  of  sliver  ore  are  regularly  made. 
There  13  nothing  peculiar  about  tho  mill, 
the  ore  being  roasted  and  workeJ  by  what 
s  known  as  the  pan  process.  The  mine 
I  self,  however,  is  a  curiosity.  There  is 
a  solid  mountain  of  ore  rising  some  1200 

I 


feet  above  the  gulch  in  which  the  mill  is 
located  and  extending  for  miles  in  either 
direction.  No  shafts  or  tunnels  are  needed 
in  working  the  mine,  but  the  ore  is  simply 
quarried  from  the  face  of  the  mountain 

/  and  sent  to  the  mill  through  chutes. 
When  first  discovered  this  ore  was  sup- 
posed to  ba  a  deposit  of  iron,  and  so  in- 
deed it  is,  about  75  per  cent  of  it.  But 
assays  showed  that  there  was  a  large  pro- 
portion of  gold  and  copper.  Consequently 
it  w  ts  decided  to  work  the  ore  lor  the 

'  precious  metal  and  let  the  rest  go,  and 
this  is  now  being  done. 

Underneath  the  iron  and  silver  combi- 
nation, however,  are  immense  deposits  of 
sulphurets,  which  run  from  $30* to  $150 
in  silver,  and  which  are  largely  of  sucn  a 
nature  that  the  ore  can  be  shoveled  out 
like  so  much  loose  sand.  Prospect  tun- 

I  nels  have  been  run  in  these  sulphuret  de- 
posits, and  no  limit  to  their  extent  has 
been  found.  The  mine,  had  it  been  dis- 
covered on  the  Cqmstock  or  in  any  other 
noted  mining  region,  would  be  one  of  the 
wonders  ol  the  world,  and  would  produce 
a  second  Washoe  excitement. 

Silver  is  found  in  small  quantities  in 
other  parts  ot  the  State,  but  not  suffi- 
ciently to  rep  \y  its  working. 

The  total  output  of  the  silver  mines  of 
the  State  up  to  tha  present  time  has  not 
reached  $50.000.000,  which  shows  how 
small  a  figure  the  industry  cuts,  though 
with  proper  encouragement  it  could  be 
made  one  of  the  leading  sources  of  wealth. 

THE     TIN     MINES. 

California    Has    the    Only     Produotlre 

Ones  in  the  Country. 
Although  tin  has  been  known  to  the 
world  from  the  earliest  times  and  its 
value  has  been  fully  demonstrated  in  the 
arts  and  sciences,  it  is  one  of  the  rarest  of 
metals  so  far  as  deposits  that  will  pay  for 
the  working  are  concerned.  The  Pncani- 
cians,  Greeks,  Egyptians  and  Hebrews 
made  extensive  use  of  tin,  and  the  most 
ancient  writers  make  frequent  reference 
to  the  metal.  The  tin  mines  of  Cornwall 
have  been  worked  for  hundreds  of  years 
and  there  are  also  deposits  in  Dover  and 
West  Somerset.  Tin  is  found  in  Alten- 
burg,  Saxony;  at  Nantes,  Limoges,,  Mor- 
bihan  and  Loire  Inferieure,  in  France;  in 
Southern  Asia  and  in  Siberia;  in  Sweden, 
Spain,  in  the  Mahy  country,  in  Madams- 
car,  Australia,  Peru  and  Cliina.  It  is 
also  found  in  Greenland  and  in  Mexico. 

In  the  Unite  i  States  the  metal  has  been 
found  in  Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire, 
New  York.  New  Jersey,  North  Carolina, 
Virginia,  Dakota,  Wyoming,  Utah  and 
California. 

Outside  of  the  California  tin  mines 
those  of  which  tne  most  has  been  said  are 
at  Hartley  Pe  tk,  Dakota.  These  have 
been  before  the  public  for  some  time,  but 
the  actual  results  of  the  development 
work  done  do  not  appear  to  have  been  of 
an  encouraging  character.  The  working 
of  several  hundred  tons  of  ore  developed 


only  about  one-naif  per  cent  of  metallic 
tin,  which  is  less  than  the  cost  of  work- 
ing. 

The  first  American  pig  tin  to  be  put  on 
the  market  in  any  quantity  w«s  the  prod- 
uct of  the  mines  at  Temescal,  in  S:-m  Ber- 
nardino county,  Cal.  These  mines  are 
found  in  a  region  which  resembles  gaolog- 
ically  in  a  most  marked  degree  the  best 
tin  regions  of  England.  The  tin  granite 
formation  in  wnich  the  mineral  is  found 
has  a  known  length  ot  twelve  miles  and  a 
width  of  four  miles.  Within  this  area  oc- 
cur over  sixty  lodes  heavily  charged  with  ( 
tin  oxide  or  cassiterite  in  a  remarkably  ' 
pure  form.  All  the  indications  point  to 
the  fact  that  these  ar.e  pure  true  fissure 
veins,  while  shafts  and  tunnels  that  h  tve 
been  sunk  demonstrate  the  fact  that  they 
extend  to  an  unknown  depth. . 

The  history  of  this  tin  mine  is  full  of 
interest.  Many  years  ago,  so  many  that 
the  memory  of  man  nor  the  written  rec- 
ords convey  no  idea  of  their  number,  tne 
Indians  who  then  thickly  populated  the 
southern  portion  of  this  State  found  on  a 
hillside  in  wh  it  is  now  the  southwestern 
portion  of  8m  Bernardino  county,  about 
forty  miles  east  of  Los  Angeles,  a  deposit 
of  jet  black  mineral,  which  crumbled  on 
being  exposed  to  the  atmosphere  and 
could  readily  be  reduced  to  powder.  In 
some  manner  they  ascertained,  or  fancied 
tnat  they  had  done  so,  that  this  mineral 
had  certain  medicinal  properties,  and  it 
grained  wide  repute  on  this  account.  So 
the  hill  came  to  be  called  in  the  native 
tongue  Cajalco,  or  Medicine  hill,  and 
thither  c-rue  the  Serranos  and  Coahuil- 
las  and  Dieguitos  and  Chimehuevas,  and 
even  the  f  ir-away  Yumas,  to  get  store  of 
the  wonderful  mineral  and  carry  it  away 
with  them  to  their  rancherias  in  the 
mountain^  and  on  J.he  desert. 

Very  early  in  the  American  occupancy 
of  the  State  the  attention  of  wnite  pros- 
pectors, ever  on  the  alert  lor  mineral 
"signs,"  was  drawn  to  the  strange  black 
deposit  on  Cajalco.  But  it  puzzled  them. 
It  was  like  nothing  they  had  ever  seen. 
They  tested  it  in  the  crude  methods  com- 
mon in  those  times,  but  could  make 
nothing  of  it,  and  finally  gave  up  ths 
effort  in  disgust. 

But  one  day  a  prospector  of  more  than 
usual  knowledge  examined  the  myste- 
rious mineral,  and  after  several  experi- 
ments discovered  that  it  was  tin  ore,  the 
first,  too,  that  had  ever  been  discovered 
in  this  country.  No  sooner  was  the  an- 
nouncement made  than  the  hills  around 
Cajalco  were  overrun  with  prospectors  and 
numerous  locations  were  made.  Upward 
of  sixty  outcroppings  of  veins  varying 
from  a  toot  to  thircy  foet  in  th'ckness  were 
found,  and  two  shafts  were  sunk  on  a 
couple  of  the  more  promising  ledges. 

Tliis  was  a  year  or  two  before  the  war, 
and  while  the  gold  excitement  on  this 
coast  was  at  its  highest.  At  once  the 
news  of  the  discovery  spread  far  and  wide, 
and  the  San  Francisco  papers  contained  j 
long  accounts  of  the  wonderful  tin  mines,  I 

~T 


which  it  was  freely  predicted  were  "worth 
millions."  Great  excitement  was  created, 
and  when  some  small  bars  of  tin  were  re- 
ceived in  San  Francisco  there  was  a  groat 
popular  outburst,  and  a  second  Fraser 
river  excitement  seemed  imminent. 

Unfortunately,  however,  at  the  very 
outset  a  dispute  arose  as  to  the  title  of  the 
land  upon  which  the  mines  were  located, 
and  the  dispute  continued  for  over  thirty 
years,  involving  tedious  and  expensive 
litigation. 

This  came  to  an  end  at  last,  however, 
and  in  anticipation  of  the  final  settlement 
of  title  preparations  were  made  to  com- 
mence operations  on  a  largo  scale.  Some- 
thing over  a -year  ago  systematic  develop- 
ment of  the'ledges  was  undertaken.  A 
branch  of  the  S'nta  Fe  road  had  been 
built  to  South  Riverside,  a  town  seven 
miles  distant,  which  made  access  to  the 
mines  comparatively  easy.  The  work  of 
development  was  in  th^  hands  of  a  com- 
pany whose  officers  reside  in  England,  but 
which  has  heavy  stockholders  in  this 
country.  An  American  w;is  appointed  to 
the  superintendency,  and  under  his  man- 
agement extensive  improvements  were 
made.  Roads  were  gra  led,  buildings  were 
erected,  an  immense  dam  to  supply  water 
power  was  commence  1,  orchards  and  gar- 
dens were  planted.  A  small  live-stamp 
mill  for  experimental  purposes  was 
erected  and  two  shafts  which  had  been 
sunk  by  the  discoverers  were  cleaned  out 
and  elaborate  hoisting  works  erected. 

On  April  25,  1891,  the  first  pig  tin  was 
turned  out,  nnd  in  the  next  two  months 
twelve  tons  in  all  of  pure  tin  were  pro- 
duced by  the  test  mill.  This  mill,  it 
should  be  understood,  was  not  intended 
for  any  but  experimental  purposes,  and 
was  erected  solely  in  order  that  a  thor- 
ough test  might  be  made  before  settling 
on  the  site  tor  the  permanent  and  exten- 
sive works. 

In  July  the  officers  of  the  company  be- 
came dissatisfied  with  the  slow  progress 
made,  and  an  expert  tin  miner  from  Corn- 
wall WAS  out  in  charge  of  the  works.  Prior 
to  this  change,  however,  work  had  been 
well  under  way  in  the  erection  of  another 
mill  with  a  capacity  of  torty  tons  daily. 
This  was  quickly  completed  and  in  con- 
nection with  six  concetrators  is  now  turn- 
ing our,  from  twenty  to  thirty  tons  of  pig 
tm  monthly.  The  machinery  for  another 
mill  of  equal  capacity  is  now  on  the 
ground  and  will  be  put  up  just  as  soon  as 
the  work  can  bo  done,  when  the  produc- 
tion will  be  doubled. 

There  are  150  men  constantly  employed, 
who  are  paid  tMo  best  wages  and  receive 
the  best  treatment  as  to  quarters,  food, 
etc. 

So  far  over  100  distinct  veins  of  tin  ore 
have  been  found  at  Cajalco  and  vicinity, 
and  the  ors  shows  ifssays  of  six  10  sixty 
per  cent,  averaging  so  far  ten  per  cent  and 
showing  better  the  farther  down  the  shafts 
are  sunk.  Is  is  pronounced  by  many  dis- 
interested experts  who  have  visited  the 
mines  to  be  the  richest  ore  in  the  world. 

Owing  to  the  formation  of  the  country 
the  ledges  are  easily  worked,  both  by  shaft 


and  tunnel.  The  ledges  all  have  a  slight 
incline,  and  those  that  are  being  worked 
widen  and  become  richer  as  they  are 
worked  deeper.  There  is  practically  no 
limit  to  the  amount  of  ore  that  can  be 
produced.  The  only  question  is  that  of 
reduction  facilities,  and  these  are  being 
increased  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

At  present  crude  petroleum  is  being 
used  as  fuel  and  is  found  to  answer  ad- 
mirably. Tests  made  of  the  refuse  left  in 
the  dust  chamber  of  the  furnace  alter 
smelting  show  not  a  trace  ot  tin — same- 
thing  that  does  not  occur  where  coal  is 
used. 

Including  the  price  paid  for  th«  mines 
and  the  amount  so  far  expended  in  their 
development, .  over  $2.000,000  have  been 
expended,  and  the  payroll  amounts  to 
$70DO  or  $8000  monthly,  a  goodly  share  of 
which  is  put  into  circulation  at  once  in 
th*>  neighboring  towns. 

Recently  extensive  improvements  have 
been  undertaken,  more  stamps  are  being 
erected  and  the  output  of  the  mines  is  to 
be  largely  increased.  

COFPER. 

Extensive  Deposits  in  Many  Portions  of 

the  State. 

Copper  is  one  of  the  most  widely  diffused 
metals  on  the  coast,  and  is  found  in  many 
localities  from  one  end  of  the  State  to  the 
other. 

The  first  copper  mines  that  were  worked 
were  discovered  at  Copperopolis,  Calaveras 
county,  on  July  4,  1861,  by  W.  K.  Reed. 
This  discovery  was  the  cause  of  gre  it  ex- 
citement, and  one  of  the  most  famous 
"rushes"  in  the  history  of  mining  in  Cali- 
fornia resulted.  Copper  claims  were 
located  on  what  was  supposed  to  be  the 
extension  of  this  .  ledge  for  a  distance  of 
fifteen  miles.  A  large  town  was  built  up 
and  for  a  time  there  was  the  greatest  ac- 
tivity. But  the  deposits  did  not  repay  the 
anticipations  that  had  been  formed,  most 
of  the  mines  were  abandoned  and  for 
years  little  or  no  hing  was  done. 

VVithin  the  p..ist  few  years,  however,  the 
(two  principal  mines,  the  Union  and  the 
'Keystone,  have  been  reopened,  and'with 
favorable  results.  The  ore  is  shipped 
East  for  treatment,  and  good  results  are 
said  to  have  been  realized. 

The  Campo  Seco  mine,  near  the  village 

'of  that   name   in    Calaveras   county,   has 

!  been  worked  successfully  for  many  years. 

The  ore   is   very   rich  and  is  so  accessible 

ithat  it  costs  less  than  $L  a  ton  to  extract. 

jit  averages  8  per  cent  or'  metallic  copper. 

,The   mode  ot   working  is   by  toasting   in 

;  piles  of  100  to  1000  tons.     About  a  cord  of 

I  wood  is  used  for  each  hundred  tons.     The 

roasting  is  kept  up  for  about  lour  months, 

alter   which   the  ore   is  passed    through  a 

,  rock  breaker,  again   roasted,  this   time  in 

j  furnaces,  and  then  put  into  the   leaching 

|  vats,  where  the  metallic  copper  is  precipi- 

|  tated  upon  pieces  of  iron. 

A  notable  copper  mine  is  the  Newton,  , 


. 

;iy  your 3 

worked  vigorously  was  closed  down  lor  a, 
long  period.  It  was  subsequently  reopened 
and  is  now  said  to  be  paying  well.  The 
ore  is  roasted  in  heaps  in  the  open  air  for 
about  six  months,  some  2000  tons  bsing 
but  into  each  pile.  These  are  so  arranged 
that  there  is  a  good  draught  through 
them,  and  only  a  small  amount  of  wood  is 
needed  to  keep  the  roasting  in  prog- 
res0.  After  the  ore  has  been  suffi-t 
ciently  roasted  the  surface  of  the 
pile  is  sprayed  with  water  so  long  as  any 
copper  solution  is  formed.  Sluices  ten 
feet  wide  and  one  foot  deep  drain  the 
water  from  the  piles,  and  in  these  scrap 
iron  is  placed,  upon  which  the  cop- 
per precipitates  and  is  held  in  the 
boxes.  The  amount  of  copper  that  results 
s  first  dried  and  then  shipped  to  S.m 
Francisco  for  treatment.  Four  piles  of  ore 
of  200  tons  each  are  kept  in  operation  all 
the  time,  and  fresh  iron  has  to  be  put  in 
the  sluices  every  twenty- four  hours. 

There   are  large   deposits    of  copper  in 
San    Bernardino     county,    and    some  of 
them  have   been    worked,    bus   not  to  any 
great    extent,   because    of  their    distance 
from  transportation    and   other  facilities,  ! 
being  located  mostly  on   the  desert  in  the  , 
northern  part  of  the  county. 

Copper  is  also  found   in  Alpine,  Colusa,,, 
Monterey,  Contra  Costa,    Ventura,     Inyo,  L 
Lake,    Mendocino,    Sonoma,    Mono,    San-, 
Ben i to,    San    Luis   Obispo,    Santa   Clara, 
Shasta  and  other  portions  of  the  State. 

COAL,. 

The  Mount  Diablo  Field— Deposits  in  Ta- 

rious  Localities. 

It  Is  over  thirty  years  since  coal  was 
first  discovered  in  California,  the  locality 
being  what  are  known  as  the  Mount  Dia-![ 
bio  fields.  Since  then  deposits  of  thia 
mineral  have  been  found  in  many  parts 
of  the  State,  and  considerable  work  has 
been  done  in  exploiting  them.  Truth 
compels  the  statement,  however,  thatn 
none  of  the  coal  yet  found  is  of  the  best 
'type  of  luel,  though  most  of  it  fills  the 
demand  where  wood  is  scarce  and  other 
coal  high-priced. 

The  Mount   Diablo  coal  fields  are  situ- 1 
ated  in  Contra  Costa  county,  on  the  north- 
ern and  northwestern  slope  of  the  mount- 
tain  of  that  name,  and   extend  for  a  dis- 
tance of  twelve  miles  along  its  base.     The  s'1 
productive  portion  of  the  fields,    however, 
is  but  a   small  part  of  the  entire  field,  the)sN 
remainder    being  so   broken    and   full  of 
faults  as  to  make  profitable  working  diffi-  ( 
cult  if  not  impossible. 

The  openings  of  the  leading  mines  and 
the  dwellings  of  the  workers  are  concen- 
trated at  two  villages  about  a  mile  apart, 
known  as  Nortonviile  and  Somersville. 
Thsse  tire  located  in  the  bottoms  ot  deep 
canyons  which  open  out  on  the  San  Joa- 


quin  plain  and  which  afford  easy  grades 
lor  the  short  lines  of  railroad  that  connect 
the  mines  with  the  shipping  points  on  the 
San  Jo^quin  river,  a  short  distance  above 
its  junction  with  the  Sacramento. 

The  coal  beds  which  have  been  profita- 
bly worked  to  a  gre.iter  or  less  extent 
are  three  in  number  and  are  known  as  the 
Clark  vein,  the  Little  vein  and  the  Black 
Diamond  vein,  and  they  lie  in  the  order 
named  as  regards  stratification.  The  total 
thickness  of  the  entire  strata  is  859  feet. 

Trie  Clark  vein  is  the  only  one  which 
has  been  worked  continuously  through  its 
whole  ex:ent  or  controlled  by  the  com- 
pany owning  it.  The  coal  bed  varies  m 
thickness  irom  eighteen  or  twenty  inches 
to  four  and  a  half  feet  or -a  trifle  more. 
The  average  of  the  entire  vein  is  thirty- 
two  or  thirty-three  inches.  This  vein  is 
generally  free  from  slate  or  dirt  of  any 
kind,  and  makes  good,  clean  coal. 

The  Little  vein  is  tne  name  given  to  two 
contiguous  beds  of  coal,  one  of  which  is 
some  fourteen  inches  thick  and  the  other 
six  inches.  In  some  places  these  veins 
reach  a  thickness  of  sixteen  to  twenty-four 
inches  of  good  coal,  and  many  thousands 
of  tons  have  been  taken  out. 

The  Black  Diamond  vein  varies  in  thick- 
ness in  different  localities  from  six  or 
eight  to  eighteen  or  twenty  feet.  But  the 
greater  portion  of  this  thickness  consists 
of  interstratilied  clay — slate  and  "  bone  " 
— the  last  word  being  a  miner's  term  to 
designate  a  very  impure,  slaty  and  worth- 
less coal,  which  forms  a  weak  roof  and  a 
bad  floor,  requiring  much  timbering  and 
gradually  swelling  so  badly  on  exposure 
to  the  air  as  to  crush  the  timbers,  and 
necessitate  frequent  cutting  down  of  the 
bottoms  of  the  shoots  and  the  gangway 
floors.  The  workable  coal,  wherever  it 
extends  in  the  Black  Diamond  vein,  liea 
nearly  in  the  middle  of  the  mass  Jorming 
the  thick  bed  just  described,  and  has  bone 
and  shale  both  above  and  below  it.  It 
generally  attains  its  maximum  thickness 
at  those  localities  where  the  whole  bed 
reaches  its  maximum  development,  or,  in 
other  words,  where  the  workable  coal 
is  thickest,  there,  also,  the  "bone" 
and  elate  are  thickest,  both  above 
and  beneath  it;  and  vice  vers.-i. 
where  the  total  tickness  of  the  bed  is 
least,  there  the  workable  coal  thins  out  or 
even  disappears  entirely,  and  the  whole 
bed  becomes  worthless.  The  coal  itself, 
however,  in  this  bed,  wherever  thick 
enough  to  bo  worked  with  profit,  is  gener- 
ally clean  and  free  from  interstratified 
sla'te  or  "bone,"  and  there  have  been  con- 
siderable areas  in  the  Black  Diamond  vein 
which  have  yielded  rather  better,  because 
harder,  coal  than  most  of  that  produced 
by  the  Clark  veLi. 

Throughout  the  whole  length  of  the  up« 
per  Black  Diamond  gangway,  except  for  a 
little  distance  in  the  extreme  western  por- 
tion of  the  mine,  the  coal  was  good,  and 
its  thickness  averaged  about  forty-four 
inches,  though  varying  at  different  points 


from  thirty-six  to  iiity-iour.  feet  of  «o**l.  but  how  ration  of  this  it  Will 

Tiiroughoat    the     Mount    Diablo    coal  .pay  to    mine  can   only  be  determined   bv 
mines  the  beds  are  frequently  more  or  less  further  exploration. 

disturbed  by  faults  and  dislocations.  The  third  tunnel,  said  to  have  been  446 
Within  the  two  and  a  half  miles  of  profit-  .feet  long,  is  on  what  is  believed  to  be  the 
able  working,  some  seven  or  eight  of  these-'same  as  the  "Liverruore  Bed,"  on  which  a 
faults  are  of  considerable  magnitude,  in-^slope  was  sunk  some  years  ago  to  a  depth 
volving  throws  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  of  nearly  400  feet  on  the  northeast  quarter 
to  150  ieet  or  more,  and  immediately  out-  -of  section  27,  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter 
side  of  thus  two  miles  and  a  half,  both  on  -farther  west.  The  strike  and  dip  of  this 
the  east  and  on  the  west,  there  are  d is-  bed  are  very  nearly  parallel  with  those  of 
turbances  of  still  greater  magnitude.  But  the  "Eureka  Bed.'*  The  total  thickness  of 
besides  these  larger  faults,  the  smaller  dis-[r the  carbonaceous  outcrop  is  six  to  seven 
turuances  scattered  throughout  the  mines  'feet,  the  lower  two  and  one- half  feet  of 
and  involving  well  marked  dislocations,  s^bich,  as  now  exposed,  is  clean,  good 
or  throws,  of  from  five  or  six  feet  down  to  coal.  But  the  present  openings  are  very 
as  many  inches  or  less,  are  extremely  shallow  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  in 
numerous.  These  disturbances  are  gen-  going  deeper  the  good  coal  may  bo  found 
er.tlly  most  sharply  denned,  and  may  be[  to  be  somewhat  tnicker. 
m.igt  easily  studied  in  the  Clark  vein.  Several  other  beds  of  coal  have  been 
Many  of  the  smaller  ones  are  entirely  j< found  in  this  same  locality,  and  in  1800 
local  in  character,  and  extend  but  very  work  was  commenced  upon  a  lengthy 
short  distances;  and  it  is  oniy  a  very  few1  tunnel  which  wus  expected  to  strike  what 


ot  the  largest  on.63  which   appear   to   ex- 
tend through  the  whole  mass  of  strata  be- 1 
tween  theCiark  and  Black  Diamond  veins 
with    sufficient    uniiorrnity    in    character 


is  known  as  the  Summit  bed,  but  for 
•ome  reason  the  project  was  abandoned 
after  a  large  amount  of  money  had  been 
expended.  It  is  the  belief  of  experts, 


nd  direction  to  render  it  possible  to  rcc-     however,  that  there  are  millions  of  tons  of 
:  ognize   with  certainty   the  same  fault  in     good  coal  in  this  locality,  which  could  be 
both  the  veins. 


mined  and  delivered  at  tide  water  at  an 
average  of  not  to  exceed  $2  50  a  ton. 

Coal  has  been  known  to  exist  at  various 
localities  in  Humboldt  county  for  over 
twenty  years.  The  abundance  of  wood 
throughout  the  county  has.  however,  pre- 
vented any  development  of  the  coal  veins. 
The  magnificent  redwood  forests  have  as 
yet  been  scarcely  touched,  and  outside  of 
the  redwood  belt  there  is  no  lack  of  oak 


The  cost  of  putting  the  Mount  Diablo  * 
coal  upon  the  market  has  averaged  $5  75  , 
a  ton,  although  it  is  clnimed  th  c  tor  some  ' 
time  past  coal  has  been  produced  here  andn 
sold  at  a  profit  for  considerably  less. 

The  production  ot    these  mines  reached  1 
i;s  maximum  in  1874,  the  total  output  for 
that  year  having  been  215,332  tons. "  Since  s 
then  the  production  of  coal  has  fallen  off 
materially,    though    large    quantities    are>irnnd  ^^^V"11"1* 
still  turned    out,   which    are    extensively    L™od-    Wit£  refuse  wood  from  the  mills 
used  in  the  manufacturing  establishments,   iat    about    *l    a  .cor<*.    •*     ^arelca,    ana 
of  Stockton  and  elsewhere.  glven    awa7  •*  bar*fc  «l»ewhere  to  dis- 

What  is  probably  a  continuation  of  the;n  po»*of  **.   and  cord  wood  at  $ 
Mount  Diablo   held  is  lound  near  Liver-      ™ed  by  very  few.    As  return  freights  for 
more,  Alarneda   county,  where  considered  thfl  lumber  Te"els  a"  RlwRy»  in  de?^n<ii 
ble  work  has  been  done  at  different  times.       'he    tm°U^*K°f  i°        M^fSii  hi     h    ^ 
At    Corral    Hollow    three    tunnels    wew^3^*^*^^?^^^^1^!^* 
driven    into  the    coal  bearing    formation      il?  r?adlIT  «uPPlied 
many  years    ago.     Two  of    these  tunnels  I1'!  .i*"1  »  f  ,     /  ' 
were  on  the    "Eureka    bed,"  one  of  them  ,„  b£idt  *  *Wfly  Si  K,  Tf  i, 

being    about    155    feet    higher    than    the  ^i the  available  wood  burnt.    It  is  then  that 
other.     The  upper  one    iT  said    to    have ,  n ! Ihe4 m^re  concentrated  mineral  fuel   wi 
been  745    feet  and  the  lower  one  750   fee "lH|b*  !?  **™**\™*  th«  °^  <J*pOSit*   JJl1, 
Ion--     At  the  mouth  of  the  lower  tunnel „.  j^ceive  due  attention      The  blacksmiths 
a  slnn«  r»r   in«M,,AH    -1,0 ff  «, ,„'  „!„„"., Li.1- !-! at  various  interior  points  have  taken  out 


some  sixty  or  seventy  feet  deeper  on  the  [fc°al  *******  f°LU!?ir  VUT£°***>  **^J  I 
bed,  which  here  dips  55  to  6U  dearees  to  l  cost  of  considerable  time  and  labor,  rather 
the  north  than  pay  the  enormous  freight  charges  on 

This  bed  is  not  well  exoosed  herf>  af  tha J    ' tbe  imported  coal.    The  advent  of  a  rail- 
nresent   time      VPL  LrflK«>?**       road,  either  from  the  Sacramento  valley 

from   i  he  existing  exposures      Those  best       'been  found  in  Humboldt  connty  mojr  b« 
acquainted   withBthese  old  wori,    tt5Ser-'vJiSen?io"ed          h8   cl         '    E"         °" 
th,  .ed  contain.  - 


,,T.. 


from  the  Jolly  Giant  mill;  on  the  Upper 
Mattole,  on  Thomas  Rudolph's  plaoe;  on 
the  main  Eel  river,  two  miles  below 
Alder  point,  on  William  Wood's  place; 
on  Jacoby  creok;  on  i^arribee  creek; 
across  the  Eel  river  from  Eagle  prairie, 
in  the  bluff;  on  the  Van  Dus«n,  three  or 
four  miles  above  Bridgeville;  on  the  Van 
Dusen,  opposite  the  Cooper  place;  on  the 
south  fork  of  Eel  river,  one  mile  north 
of  Garberville;  on  Bear  creek,  one  mile 
east  of  Garberville;  on  Panther  gulch 
end  on  Buckmountain  gulch,  tributaries 
of  the  east  branch  of  the  south  fork  of 
Eel  river;  on  the  east  branch  of  the  south 
fork  of  Eel  river,  on  the  Ray  ranch,  and 
on  the  Hoopa  Indian  reservation. 

The  deposits  found  upon  Eel  river  have 
had  more  or  less  work  done  upon  them  at 
one  time  and  another,  and  great  thincs 
are  expected  of  them  whenever  suitable 
'railway  facilities  shall  have  been  sup- 
plied. 

In  lone  valley,  at  the  western  edge  of 
the  foothills  of  the  Sierra  Nevada*,  in 
Amador  county,  there  is  a  coal  bed  which 
has  attracted  some  attention. 

This  coal  is  also  of  very  recent  origin ; 
quite  probably,  indeed,  not  older  than 
some  of  the  auriferous  gravels  themselves. 
The  bed  lies  nearly  horizontal,  and  ranges 
at  different  points  from  five  or  six  to 
twelve  or  fifteen  feet  in  thickness.  It  is 
o?erlaid  and  underlaid  by  a  very  soft  clay 
rock,  and  its  depth  beneath  the  surface  of 
the  ground  is  small,  being  sometimes  not 
more  than  thirty  or  forty  feet.  The  mate- 
rial itself  is  strictly  a  lignite,  still  showing 
a  good  deal  of  the  woody  texture.  It  is 
not  black  nor  lustrous,  but  of  a  dull  earthy 
brown  color,  very  spit  and  friable,  and 
makes  a  large  quantity  of  ash.  Never- 
theless it  burns  very  freely  with  a  bright 
flame,  and  the  ashes  do  not  form  any 
troublesome  clinker.  It  has  been  em- 
ployed for  years  as  fuel  for  a  flouring  mill 
at  lone,  the  distance  to  haul  it  being 
about  three-quarters  of  a  mile. 

At  the  village  of  Lincoln,  in  the  Sacra- 
mento valley,  in  the  southwestern  part  of 
Placer  county,  there  is  also  a  coal  de- 
posit, of  which  great  expectations  have 
from  time  to  time  been  entertained. 

At  American  canyon,  in  thu  south- 
western part  of  Solano  county,  there  are 
for  some  distance  in  the  bluff  along  the 
ri^nt  bank  of  the  canyon  heavy  but 
irregular  croppings  of  black  carbonaceous 
shale,  containing  streak?  from  one  inch  to 
ten  inches  in  thickness  of  coal.  Most  of 
these  croppings,  however,  are  not  in 
place,  as  there  has  been  more  or  less  land- 
sliding  nearly  all  the  way  along  the  steep 
face  of  the  bluff. 

The  attempt  has  been  made  once  or 
twice  to  organize  a  company  to  mine  here 
for  coal.  But  there  has  never  yet  been 
sufficient  work  done  to  prove  what  lies 
in  the  solid  hill  back  of  the  croppings. 
The  locality  would  also  be  rather  an  ex- 
pensive one  to  prospect  satisfactorily,  and 
the  surface  indications  are  not,  on  the 

'  !.' 


whole,  particularly  promising.  \Vith 
reference,  however,  to  transportation  and 
proximity  to  market,  the  situation  is  a 
very  favorable  one  if  ever  a  good  mine  b« 
found  here. 

In  Orange  county,  at  a  locality  about 
twelve  or  thirteen  miles  easterly  from  the 
|   town   of  Anaheim,  in    the  mountains  or 
the  south  side  of  the  Santa  Ana  river   not 
over  a  mile  from  the  river,  and  at  an' alti- 
tude of  some  1400  or  1500  feet  from  its  bed 
T  there    ara    exposed     in     the    precipitous 
mountain   side  some   ten   or  twelve  thin 
b  seams  of  impure  coal  distributed  ihrough 
r  something    like   100   feet"  in   thickness  of 
<6halesand  sandstones,  no  single  coal  seam 
I  being  over  about  one  foot  thick. 
£     Some  very   promising  deposits  of  coal 
have   been  found    in   Fresno  county  and 
consideraole  development  has  been  done 
Four  miles  northwest  of  the  town  of  Coal- 
inga    is    located    the    mine    of    the    Sin 
-Joaquin  Valley  Coal  Company.    The  mine 
is  opened    by   a  series   of   tunnels.     The 
tunnel  through  which  work  is  now  being 
[prosecuted  is  1050  feet  in  length   and  is  a 
crosscut   until   the  main  vein  is  reached. 
E  In  it  the  formation  is  regular  in  its  strata 

of  sandstones,  clays  and  clay  shales. 
[  beverai  small  veins  are  encountered  be- 
fere  the  main  vein  is  reached,  they  ail  be- 
jing  parallel  with  it.  The  mam  vein 
courses  north  20  degrees  west,  and  pitches 
east  at  an  an  pie  of  30  decrees,  and  has  an 
average  width  of  four  feet.  The  stratum 
immediately  on  the  hanging  wall  of  the 
mam  coal  vein  is  a  compact  <jlay,  colored 
almost  black  with  bituminous  matter,  and 
only  1  :cka  the  luster  which  distinguishes 
t  from  the  vein  itself.  This  mutter  has 
an  almost  uniform  thickness  of  five  feet 
On  the  foot  wall  is  a  soft  sandstone  six 
feet  thick  stratified  in  itself  with  thin 
strata  ot  carbonaceous  matter. 

About  one  mile  to  the  east,  in  section  26. 
at  an  altitude  of  1000  feet,  ia  the  mine  of 
the  Caiilornia  Coal  Mining  Company, 
four  miles  from  Coalinga  by  wagon  road, 
lue  vein  here  courses  north  15  degrees 
west  and  dips  to  the  east  35  decrees  It 
averages  two  feet  in  width.  The  hanging 
wall  is  sandstone  of  an  aeranaceous  char- 
acter and  the  foot  wall  is  clay.  The  mine 
has  been  opened  by  a  tunnel  525  feet  in 
length,  running  entirely  on  the  vein  giv- 
ing a  vertical  depth  from  the  surface  at 
its  face  of  230  fact.  Coal  is  also  found  in 
several  otner  localities  in  the  same  region. 
There  are  minor  deposits  of  this  mineral 
in  ban  Joaquin,  San  Mateo,  Santa  Clara 
Solano,  Trinity,  Shasta  and  other  sections' 
but  none  have  been  worked  to  any  extent! 

QUICKS  ILViSR. 

A     Widely     Diffused    Metal    and    Many 
Paying  Deposits. 

Considering  the  time  during  which  the 
'"silver    deposits    of   California   have 
opened,    they   rank   the  first  in  the 
production.     In  j 

1 


, 


3t  It  is  owing  to  their  immense  prc- 
-'  ictiveness  tnat  the  price  ot  this  valuable 
metal  has  been  reduced  to  such  a  point 
that  many  mines  in  this  State  have  heen 
shut  down  because  of  the  lack  of  profit  in 
working  them. 

The  commercial  status  of  quicksilver  is 
peculiar,  It  appears  to  be  three  or  more 
times  as  abundant  in  naturo  as  silver,  and 
since  1850,  according  to  the  reports  of  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey,  the 
weight  of  silver  extracted  has  been  about 
six-tenths  that  of  quicksilver,  but  the 
total  value  of  the  latter  is  less  than 
one-sixteenth  that  of  the  former 
metal.  This  is  due  to  the  limited 
demand  for  mercury,  which  is  employed 
In  large  quantities  only  for  amalgamating 
the  gold  and  silver  ores  and  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  vermilion.  Five  regions  in  the 
world  are  yielding,  or  have  yielded,  great 
quantities  of  this  metal.  These  are 
Almaden,  in  Spain;  Idrai,  in  Austria; 
Kwei-Chau,  in  China;  Huancavelica,  in 
Peru,  and  the  Coast  Range  of  California. 
In  the  period  from  1850  to  1886  Idria  pro- 
duced in  round  numbers  300,000  flasks  of 
the  metal,  Almaden  1,140,000  and  Cali- 
fornia 1,400,000,  or  nearly  half  the  entire 
product  of  the  world. 

As    to    the    time    of  the  discovery    of 
quicksilver  in  California  there  is   consid-  j 
erable  dispute.     That  the  natives   of  this  j 
country  used  cinnabar  in  the  preparation  j 
of  paints    hundreds  of  years' before   the1 
advent  of  the  white  man   is   conclusively 
demonstrated  by  the  existence  of  the  pre- 
historic rook  paintings  at  various  locali- 
ties on  the  coast,  into  which  the  hue  of 
red  enters  more  largely  than   any  other  , 
color. 

As  early  as  1824  the  cinnabar  deposit  of  " 
New  Almaden   was   known    to  the  Span-   I 
iards,  and  in  that  year  an  effort  was  made 
to  extract  silver  from  the  ore,  those  who 
carried  out  the  experiment   not   knowing 
the  real    character  of  the  deposit    with 
which  they  were  dealing. 

In  1835  another  attempt  of  a  similar 
character  was  made  with  the  same  result,  h 
In  1845,  however,  a  Mexican  army  officer 
who  chanced  to  visit  the  Santa  Clara  val- 
ley was  shown  some  of  the  ore  and  ex- 
perimented with  it  in  order  to  learn  its  * 
real  character.  With  the  assistance  of , 
one  of  the  padres  it  was  shown  that  the 
mysterious  metal  was  quicksilver.  From  ; 
that  time  on  the  work  of  development 
was  pushed  until  the  mines  at  New  Al- 
maden became  the  most  notable  in  tho 
world  with  a  single  exception.  These  mines 
are  situated  near  the  western  limns  of 
Santa  Clara  countv,  in  a  canyon  of  tne  in- 
ner Coast  Range,  twelve  miles  southwest 
of  San  Jose.  Millions  of  dollars  have  been 
|  expended  here,  and  many  more  millions 
of  dollars'  worth  of  quicksilver  have  been 
taken  out  in  return ;  the  tot  il  yield  of  this 
metal  for  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  be- 
ing 70,000,000  pounds.  The  fir*t  discov- 
ery of  quicksilver  on  this  coast  was  made 
;  at  Almuden.  'ihe  na  ives  had  used  the 
i  red  ore  for  pnint,  but  without  any  knowl- 
[  ed^e  of  its  mineral  character.  The  veins 


that  have  been  worked  here  continuously 
for  over  forty  years  have    been   nearly  or  i 

3 uite  exhausted,  and  it  has  not   yet   been 
etermined  whether  others  exist  in  ex-  ! 
tent  that  will  repay  working. 

Next  in  importance  are  the  New  Idria  i 
mines,  situated  in  the  southeastern  part 
of  San  Benito  county.  These  mines  wera 
discovered  in  1852  or  1853,  and  in  1854-55 
active  development  was  commenced  and 
was  continued  for  many  years  at  a  large 
profit.  This  mino  gave  rise  to  one  of  the 
most  notable  cases  of  litigation  that  has 
been  known  in  the  raining  history  ofv  this 
country.  Thja  low  price  of  quicksilver 
that  has  prevailed  for  along  period  caused 
these  mines  in  common  with  many  others 
to  be  shut  down. 

Quicksilver  was  discovered  in  San  Luis 
Obispo  county  in  1872  by  a  Mexican,  in 
the  mountains  west  of  San  Simeon,  al- 
though it  was  long  known  to  exist  in  the 
county  by  the  Indians,  who  used  it  as  a 
paint,"  and  were  in  the  habit  of  visiting 
the  Santa  Lucia  range  of  mountains  to 
procure  it  for  that  purpose.  Over  160 
quicksilver  claims  are  recorded  in  the  San 
Simeon  district.  In  1871  discoveries  of 
cinnabar  were  made  at  Cambria,  also 
about  eight  rnilei  north  of  the  first  dis- 
covery, near  the  northeast  corner  of 
Piedra  Blanca  rancho,  which  led  to  the 
discovery  ot  the  Pine  mountain  lode  on 
the  summit  of  the  Santa  Lucia.  On  this 
lode  eight  claims  were  located,  from  which 
a  large  quantity  of  ore,  stated  to  average 
2/4  Per  cent,  has  been  extracted.  The 
Gioson  and  Phillips  claims,  .  the 
Santa  Maria,  Buckeye  and  Jeff  Davis 
are  ail  located  on  the  same  lode.  The  San 
Jose  mines  were  located  in  1872  upon  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  Santa  Lucia  range. 
The  principal  mine  that  has  been  devel- 
oped is  the  Oceanic.  The  original  claims, 
three  in  number,  were  located  in  1874,  and 
are  situated  on  the  north  side  and  three- 
quarters  ot  a  mile  from  the  Santa  Rosa 
creek  and  five  miles  from  Cambria.  The 
ledge  runs  east  and  west,  dipping  to  the 
north  at  an  angle  of  about  seventeen  de- 
grees. The  vein  is  said  to  vary  from  eight 
feet  to  thirty-two  feet  in  width.  At 
times  over  300  men  were  employed  in 
these  works.  Three  furnaces  were  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $90,000.  Good  returns  were 
made  on  the  capital  while  the  price  of 
quicksilver  was  high,  but  when  it  fell  to 
40  cents  per  pound  it  was  found  impossi- 
ble to  produce  it  at  a  profit,  and  work  was 
suspended. 

The  quicksilver  deposits  of  Lake  county 
are  among  the  best  in  the  State.  Of  t1  • 
mines  that  have  been  opened  the  Brad- 
ford is  the  most  important  one,  and  is 
located  a  few  miles  from  Middle  town,  on 
the  Calistoga  road.  The  Great  Western 
mine,  which  has  been  worke'd  siiK'e  1856, 
is  located  four  miles  south  of  Middle- 
town.  The  claim  covers  6000  linear  feet 
on  the  vein,  which  strikes  east  and  west 
and  dips  to  the  south  at  an  «agle  of  65 
degrees.  The  hanging  wall  is.  clay  slate, 
quite  soft  near  the  vein;  the  foe »,  "wall  is 


'serpentine.  In  the  first  instance  tiie 
mine  was  opened  by  and  worked  through 
a  tunnel  2200  feet  long,  intersecting  the 
vein  at  a  depth  of  219  feet. 

« -ferS&f  "PI  Ban,kImine  is  Ioc^ted  on- 
er oi   uear  lake,  ten  miles  north 
the  .  town    of  Lower  Lake.     It  has 
OwT    vT°rked    for    »    good    manv   years 
^/Jl^fJ^f"9  °/  «uiphurous  fumes 
3     not    carried    to    anv 


i  °f  «Sui>rk"8iiver  in  Onlifornia 
when  the  New  Almaden 


been  as  follows: 


the    present   time    has 


has  by  far  the  largest  supply.  The  total 
production  for  the  census  year  1889-90  for 
the  entire  country  was  some  52,000  tons 
(since  largely  increased),  and  of  this  Oali- 
fornia  produced  48,000  tons.  There  is  a 
constantly  increasing  demand  for  asphal- 
tum, as  new  uses  are  being  found  for  it 
and  production  in  California  has  been 
greatly  stimulated.  Much  of  the  asphal- 
tum produced  here  is  of  far  greater puritv 
and  higher  grade  than  that  obtained  in 
the  island  of  Trinidad,  which  is  and  has 
for  years  been  the  principal  source  of  the 
world's  supply. 

Although  the  greatest  use  for  asphaltum 
is  in  the  manufacture  of  street  paving,  it 
is  by  no  means  confined  to  that  field. 
Lar^e  quantities  are  consumed  in  making 
floors  for  warehouses,  cellars,  wineries, 
breweries,  etc.  It  renders  the  floors  ub- 

sotutely  water  light  and  is  riot  affected  by 

in  the   jj  acids  or   gases.     For  lining   dams,  levees 

_   i      t;  f»  n  rl   raQ*rvs\*i  T*«  a   +K{»»  s*~..i-  «*  - L  .•!.»-- 


San 


YSAK. 


1850. 

1851. 

1852.' 

1853. 

1854. 

1855  ' 

1856.; 

1857. 

1858. ' 

1859.' 

I860. 

1861." 

1862  " 

1863. :  ; 

1864. . . 

1865. 
,  1366. .' . 
1  1867 

1803.'" 

1869." 

1870.'.'. 
i  1871 
j  1872... 
I  1873.. 

1874 

1875 

' 


Flasks. 


7,723 


Averg 
Price. 


45 


•  I  •."<>  -p-jy  *D 

27,77!)!  66  92 

OA  t  \(\(     cr  r*   *•»,  * 


Approximate 
Valuation. 


20,OOC 
22,284 
3  0,00  1 
33.000 
30,000 
28,204 
31,000 
13.00C 
10,000 
35,000 
42,000 
40,531 
47,489 


1877 

1878. 

1879 

1880. 

I  1881. 

I  1882 

1883.'! 

1884.. 

1885  . 

1888.. 

1887.. 

1888.. 

1889.. 


46,550 

47,000 
47,728 
33,811 
30,077 
31,685 
31,621 
27,642 


58  32 
55  45 
55  43 
53  55 
51  65 
49  72 
47  82 
63  12 
53  55 
42  10 
36  35 
42  07 
45  90 


$768,000  00 
1,859,000  00 
1,106.500  00  } 
1,235,500  00 
1,665,500  00  I 
1,768,000  00 
1,549,500  00  T 
1,402,000  00  " 
1,482,500  00  , 
820,500  00 
535,500  00 
1,473,500  00  ^ 
1,52(5.500  00 
1,705,000  00  I 
1,761,500  00 


50,250 
75,074 
79,396 
63,880 
73  684 
59,926 
60,851 
52,732 
46,725 
31,913 
32,073 
29,981 
33,760 
33,250 
26,464 


45  90J2,433;o6o  66 
51  6  J  i -2,403,000  00 
4o  90|2,157.0OO  00 
45  90(2,191,000  00 
45  90|l,552,000  00 


57  3 
63  1 
65  97 
80  32 
105  17 
84  1; 
44  00 
38  JsC 
32  9i 
29  Kg 
31  00 

29  80 
28  25 
27  25 

30  50 
30  25 
35  50 
42  25 
42  50 
45  00 


1,725,500  00 
1,999,500  00 
2,086,000  00 
2,2*26,500  00 
2,919,000  00 
2,721,000  00 
3,303,000  00 
9,041,000  00  i 
2,101,500  00  i 
^,199.500  00  M 
1,860,000  00 
1,810,000  00 
1,500,000  00 
1,275,000  00 

975,000  00 
.,000,000  00 

970,000  00 
,425,000  00 
,415,000  00 
,190,500  On 


P 


ASPHALTUM. 


Deposits    That   Promise   to   Be    Sources  | 

of  'Wealth. 

Under  the  general  name   of  asphaltum  (, 
are    grouped    a    number    of    bituminous  • 
products,    including  gilsonite,     elaterite,    ; 
rimtite,  wurtzilite,    albertite,    grahamite, 
asphaltum,  maltha,  brea  and   bituminous 
rock.     Small  deposits    of  these  minerals 
J-e  found    in   Utah    and   Kentucky,    but 
is  the  center  of  production  and  i 


and  reservoirs  a  thin  coat  of  asp'hnltum 
put  on  in  a  melted  st.tte  presents  a  per- 
manent water-tight  surface,  preventing 
loss  by  seepage  even  when  backed  by 
only  an  earth  embankment.  Ai  a  coat- 
ing for  piling,  wharf  timbers,  ground  ends 
of  telegraph  poles,  etc.,  it  gives  almost 
absolute  protection  against  not  only  the 
action  of  air  and  water,  but  also  the  de- 
structive work  of  insects  and  barnacles. 
It  is  used  as  a  cement  for  seawalls  and 
other  marine  architecture,  where  its  water- 
proof character  makes  it  especially  valu- 
able as  a  binding  material.  It  is  claimed 
to  make  wood  conduits  almost,  if  not 
quite  ad  durable  as  iron,  and  any  iron  or 
other  metal  work,  such  as  anchors,  etc.. 
coated  with  it  will  not  rust  or  be  affected 
by  sea  water.  It  ia  also  used  as  a  roofing 
material,  and,  being  practically  a  non- 
conductor of  electricity,  serves  a  useful 
purpose  as  an  insulator  for  electrical 
wires.  Varnish  is  manufactured  from  re- 
fined asphaltum  or  gilsonite  by  simply 
heating  with  spirits  of  turpentine. 

The  increased  demand  for  asphaltum 
during  the  past  twenty  years  is  shown  by 
the  quantities  imported  and  entered  for 
consumption  in  the  United  States  daring 
that  time. 

Quantity. 
YEARS  ENDBD—  (Snort  tons.)    Value. 

1867 $6,268 

1868 185  5,632 

1869 203         10,559 

1870 488         13,072 

1871 1,301         14,760 

1872 1,474        35,533 

1873. 2,314         38,298 

1874 1,183         17,710 

1875 1,171         26.006 

1876 807         23,818 

1877 4,532         36,550 

1878.... 5,476    35,932 

1879 8,084    39,035 

1880 11,830    87,889 

1881 12,883    95,410 

1882 15,015   102.698 

1883 33,116   149,999 

1884 36,078   145,571 

1885 18,407    88,037 

1886 32,565   108,528 

1887 30,808    95,735 

1888 36,494    84,045 

1889 61,952   138,163 


The  centers  of  asphaltum  production  in 
California  are  Santa  Barbara,  Ventura 
Los  Angeles  and  Keru  counties,  while 
large  quantities  of  bituminous  rock  are 
also  obtained  in  Santa  Cruz,  Monterey  and 
San  Luis  Obispo.  This  latter  product  is 
used  extensively  in  street  pavements  in 
San  Francisco  and  other  cities. 

Tests  made  of  the  crude  as  well  as  re- 
fined California  asphaltum  show  that  It  is 
superior  to  the  imported,  and  the  table 
published  herewith  shows  that  there  is  a 
large  field  in  this  country  for  the  use  of 
the  products  of  the  California  deposits. 

An  idea  of  the  remarkable  features  of 
the  asphaltum  deposits  of  this  coast  can 
be  formed  Irom  the  following  description 
of  the  Kern  county  fields: 

"Lying  at  the  very  feet  of  the  Coast 
range,  but  a  little  above  the  valley,  yet 
scarcely  within  the  embrace  of  the  f'obt- 
hiUs,  there  is  a  belt  of  country  in  Kern 
county  that  at  first  sight  attracts  little  at- 
tention. There  are  mounds  and  knolls  by 
means  of  which  the  place  lies  higher  than 
the  valley  proper  jind  yet  seerus  to  have 
no  connection  with  the  mountain  system 
which  rises  sharply  behind  it. 

"Close  investigation  shows  that  these 
mounds  have  been  built  up  irora  the  val- 
ley at  a  time  not  very  f.tr  back  geologi- 
cally, and  by  a  very  peculiar  process. 
The  mounds  are  composed  of  alternate 
layers  of  asphaltum  and  debris  or  waah 
from  the  mountains.  It  is  evident  that 
at  times  this  asphaltum  boiled  up  and 
overflowed  the  banKs  oi'  the  spring,  and 
then  during  a  period  ol  quiet,  or  by  some 
sudden  storm,  debris  from  the  h.ils  was 
deposited,  and  so  on.  At  one  time  tais 
region  must  have  been  upon  a  level  with 
the  adjacent  valley  lands,  bm  these 
mounds  of  asphaltum  have  started  around 
the  feeding  spring  and  gradually  built  up 
to  their  present  dimensions,  in  a  way  akin 
to  the  formation  of  geyser  cresta  in  the 
valley  of  the  Yellowstone. 

"This  formative  process  is  not  yet  en- 
tirely extinct,  and  one  marked  and  ex- 
ceedingly interesting  example  can  even 
now  be  seen  in  what  are  known  as  the 
Buena  Vista  asphaltum  fields.  Hera 
there  are  two  wells  which  may  properly 
be  called  asphaltum  'geysers,  situated 
about  200  feet  nparr,  but  evidently  having 
underground  connection,  for  they  pulsate 
alternately.  One  has  a  mouth  a'bout  five 
feet  in  diameter  and  the  other  is  about 
three  feet  across.  One  is  always  quiet 
when  the  other  is  in  ebullition  'and  the 
action  is  like  this:  Natural  gr»s  in  forcing 
its  way  from  down  below,  will  swell  the 
top  layer  of  liquid  asphalt  until  it  puffs 
up  like  a  balloon  and  finally  breaks. 
After  a  puff  of  gas  like  this  from  one 
spring,  the  surface  quiets  down  and  im- 
mediately the  surface  of  the  other  well, 
200  feet  away,  commences  to  inflate  and 
finally  breaks,  when  the  same  perform- 
ance is  commenced  again  at  the  other  end 
of  the  line.  And  so  the  process  goes  on, 
alternating  constantly,  and  from  the  over- 
flow of  asphaltum  by  th  is  rneane,  both 
springs  are  gradually  enlarging  the 


mounds  around  them. 

In  this  region  there  are  several  other 
anbbling  springs  of  much  smaller  dimen- 
sions, and  so  far  as  observed,  each  acts 
ndependently. 

"In   the  Sunset  fields,  the    mounds  all 
»ppear  to  have  been  formed  and    are   now 

^.jToflxVrclened  asphalt  of    varying 

degrees  of  thickness,  below  which,  how- 
ever in  every  well  thus  far  sunk,  there  is 
found  liquid"  asphaitum,  apparently  un- 
limited in  supply." 

Wells  have  been  sunk  in  a  number  of 
places  and  a  peculiar  heavy  black  oil  ob- 
tained in  large  quantities.  Experiment 
has  shown  that  this  oil  is  about  90  per 
cent  pure  asphaltum  and  n  commence- 
ment has  been  made  in  refining  this  for 
market,  which  promises  to  become  an 
important  and  profitable  industry. 

PETROLEUM. 

California     the      Third      Oll-Prodnolnj 
State  In  the  Union. 

While  California  is  the  third  petroleum 
producing  State  in  the  Union,  ranking 
next  to  Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  still 
the  amount  produced  here  falls  far  short 
of  the  yield  of  either  of  those  States. 

I  Nevertheless,   the   Golden    State   makes  a 

-  fair  showing,  and  one  that  affords  promise 
of  a  development  that  it  is  not  impossible 

}  may  in  time  put  it  at  the  head  of  the  list. 
The  existence  of  petroleum  on  this 
coast  has  been  known  for  over  thirty 
years.  The  memorable  oil  excite- 
ment of  the  early  sixties  in  Pennsylvania 
had  its  reflex  in  California,  and  compa- 
nies were  organized  by  the  score  for  the 
development  of  the  oil  measures  svhich 

C  were  discovered  along;  the  coast  all  the  way 
from  S  in  Diego  to  Eureka.  A  vast  amount 

I  of  money  was  invested  in  machinery   and 
development    work,    but    the  absence    of 

»  railroad  facilities  was  too  heavy  a  handi- 
I  cap  r.nd  the  excitement  speedily  died  out 

II  without  the  realization    of   the   expected 
fortunes  that  had  been  so  fondly    antici- 
pated. 

After  this  first  flurry  and   disappoint- 
3'  ment  came  a  lull,  and  then  ten  or  a  dozen 
years  later  enterprising  men  again  stepped 
'  in,  and  many  of  the  difficulties  in  the  way 
of  success    naving   been  removed   opera- 
tions  were    resumed    with   the   result  al- 
ready  related    in    giving    California    the 

III  third    place    among   the  petroleum   pro- 
ducing States  of  the  Union. 

The   oil   measures   are  confined  to  the 
"""  Coast  range  and    its  outlying    branches, 
r  and    petroleum    has    been   found   in  the 
-^1  counties  of  Los  Angeles,  Orange,  Sau  Ber- 
nardino, Ventura,  Santa   Barbara,    Kern, 
^San   Luis   Obispo,  Monterey,  Fresno,  San 
Bsnito,  Santa  Clara,  San  Mateo.  Alameda, 


JO    9DUHUIOJ    ; 

Xq 

dn  ^{inq  oq.\v 

•S9UII}    DIOJQl 

Xq      3i^   si 


dn  ppq  ;u9iudinb9 

fsazud 


^r  ;usa,  Humholdt,  Shasta  and  Mendocino. 

— e  principal  center  of  production  is   in 

the  south,  the  wells  of   Ventura  and    Lr»a  ; 
Angeles  counties  turning  out  a  constantly  j 

I  increasing  quantity  of  oil. 

At  Puente,  some  thirty  milos  east  ot 
Los  Angeles,  a^e  extensive  oil  deposits, 
whose  development,  however,  only  dates 
back  to  1882.  There  sre  sixteen  wells  and 
i hey  produce  about  3000  barrels  monthly.  , 
Most  of  it  is  used  for  fuel  and  lubricating 
purposes.  These  deposits  continue  into 
Orange  county,  where  a  couple  of  wells 
have  been  sunk  near  Fullerton  which 
yield  small  quantities  of  oil,  utilized' for 
rael.  Oil  in  small  amounts  is  found  in 
other  parts  of  Los  Angeles  county  than 
the  localities  mentioned. 

,      The  district    which   yields   the   largest 

'  amount  of  oil  at  present  is  in  Ventura 
county  and  is  a  continuation  of  the  N*w- 
hall  deposits.  There  are  three  large  com- 
panies operating  here,  and  there  are  wells 
in  Torrey  csmyon,  the  Ojai  valley  and 
Sepe,  Santa  Paula,  Adams,  Wheeler  and 
Aiiso  canyons.  The  wella  already  in  ex- 
istence supply  some  800  barrels  daily,  and 
new  ones  are  constantly  being  sunk. 
There  is  an  extensive  system  of  pipe  lines 
in  this  territory  and  a  large  refinery  at 
Santa  Paula.  Besides  the  large  companies 
in  operation  there  fire  many  small  wells 
owned  by  private  parties,  and  their  prod- 
uct is  all  sold  to  the  large  concerns.  The 
crude  oil  is  worth  about  $1  60  at  the  well, 
which  is  a  much  larger  price  than  is  com- 
manded in  the  oil  regions  of  the  East. 

Active  preparations  have  been  made 
for  the  systematic  development  of  the  oil 
deposit  in  the  southern  part  of  Humboldt 
couaty,  aud  the  probability  is  that  a  large 

amount  of  petroleum  will  be  produced 
here.  At  present  the  annual  production 
of  the  entire  State  is  some  700,000  barrels, 
but  this  is  capable  of  almost  indefinite  ex- 
tension. 

Th?  most  recent  addition  to  the  pe- 
troleum discoveries  of  the  State  ia  in 
Kern  county.  Under  date  of  May  llth  a 
dispatch  from  Bukersfield  gave  "the  fol- 
lowing news: 

"  A  rich  strike  of  oil  in  the  Sunset  field-* 
is  an  addition  to  the  resources  of  Kern 
county  that  will  add  millions  to  its  own- 
ers. The  town  of  B^kersfield  is  in  a  state 
of  excitement  over  the  rich  oil  in  this 
county.  The  oil  regions  of  this  conn  ty  for 
the  past  year  have  been  persistently"  and 
steadily  developed.  Rich  men  who  hud 
faith  in  the  presence  of  oil  employed  ex- 
perienced talent  to  develop  their  property. 
Well  after  well  has  been  put  down  in  tho 
Sunset  district,  each  one,  until  the  last 
discovery,  yielding  a  heavy,  black  oil, 
carrying  liquid  asphalt,  and  from  discov- 
eries already  made  a  profitable  industry 
will  be  built  up.  The  Southern  Pacific 
Company  has  already  decided  to  construct 
a  branch  line  to  the  fields. 

"The  company  operating  in  that  re- 
gion, being  convinced  that  what  is  called 
'green  oil'  could  be  found,  has  been  per- 
sistently hunting  for  11.  Upon  striking 
black  oil  thev  would  remove  the  derrick 


and  boring  apparatus  to  another  place  and 
try  again.  The  last  and  successful  opera- 
tion was  begun  in  an  entirely  new  locality 
a  mile  distant  from  former  operations,  in 
which  they  were  successful.  At  a  depth 
of  470  feet  green  oil  entirely  free  from 
liquid  asphaltum  was  encountered  with  a 
heavy  flow  of  water.  The  well  was  put 
down  nearly  a  hundred  feet  in  this  oil- 
bearing  stratum  and  as  soon  as  the  water 
can  be  shut  off  the  exact  amount  of  the 
find  can  be  determined.  Other  wells  are 
being  put  down. 

"The  grand  fact  of  the  strike  is  the  qual- 
ity of  the  oil.  It  is  of  a  dark-green  color, 
of  about  eighteen  degrees  gravity,  and  the 
teats  which  have  already  been  made  prove 
it  to  be  the  very  best  of  the  natural  lubri- 
cating oils,  equal  in  quality  and  value  to 
the  most  famed  product  of  West  Virginia. 
An  expert  who  ha*  been  testing  it  during 
the  past  week  publicly  stated  to-day  that 
it  is  a  moat  remarkable  oil,  not  excelled 
for  lubricating  and  iuel  qualities  in  any 
locality.  The  present,  as  well  as  the  pros- 
pective industries  of  Kern  county,  have 
now  cheap  fuel  at  their  doors,  while  the 
market  for  lubricating  oil  of  such  a  quality 
as  this  recent  strike  is  as  wide  as  the 
world."  ^ 

NEVADA. 


THX     CENTER     OF     AMERICAN    SIX.- 
TICK  PRODUCTION. 


Hundreds  of  Millions  of  Dollars  Ex- 
tracted From  Her  Mountains — The 
Deposits  by  No  Means  Exhausted— 
Abundance  of  Low-Grade  Ore. 


The  history  of  mining  in  Nevada  is  al- 
most coequal  with  that  of  California,  gold 
and  silver  having  both  been  discovered  in 
that  State,  then  a  part  of  the  Territory  of 
Utah,  in  1849.  In  July  of  that  year  good 
placers  were  found  in  the  ravines  tributary 
to  Carson  valley,  while  many  of  the  emi- 
grants who  passed  through  this  section  in 
that  year  en  route  for  the  California  dig- 
gings found  gold  in  different  localities, 
but  paid  little  attention  thereto,  as  they 
expected  to  find  far  richer  diggings  on  it  e 
other  sid-»  of  the  Sierra  Nevada. 

Several  years  passed  before  any  par- 
ticular attention  was  paid  to  the  Nevada 
mines,  and  it  was  not  until  the  discovery 
of  the  famous  Comstock  lode  that  the 
mining  history  of  Nevada  actually  began. 
Some  little  gold  mining  had  been  done  at 
Gold  canyon  during  the  first  few  years 
after  the  breaking  out  of  the  mining  ex- 
citement in  California,  but  no  one  sus- 
pected tho  existence  of  silver.  In  1853 


two  brothers  named  Grosch  visited  Gold  ; 
canyon  and  there  found  ore,  which  they 
said  they  believed  to  be  silver.  These 
men  endeavorad  to  raise  capital  with 
which  to  work  this  ore,  but  died  before 
being  able  to  do  so. 

In  1857  gold  placem  were  discoverei  in 
Six-mile  canyon,  a  short  distance  below 
the  site  of  Virginia  City,  and  among  those 
who  took  up  claims  well  toward  the  head 
of  that  canyon  ware  two  men  named  Fen- 
nimore  'and  Comstock.  The  first  was 
better  known  as  "Old  Virginia,"  and  from 
these  two  individuals  came  the  names 
which  were  destined  to  have  a  world- 
wide reputation.  While  searching  for 
Kold  these  miners  were  frequently  both-  J 
ered  by  the  presence  ot  pieces  of 
some  other  heavy  metallic  substance  of 
whose  nature  they  were  unaware,  and  it 
was  not  until  some  one  more  curious  than 
his  fellows  took  a  sample  of  this  motal  to 
Placerville,  in  California,  and  had  it  as- 
sayod  that  the  fact  was  disclosed  that  it 
was  enormously  rich  silver  ore. 

As  soon  as  tnis  became  known,  w  hich 
was  in  the  summer  ol  1859,  the  famous 
Washoe  rush  commenced,  and  in  the 
space  of  a  monih  or  two  a  town  of  up- 
wards of  40UO  population  had  gathered, 
arastras  and  then  stamp  mills  were  put 
up  in  numbers,  and  some  ot  the  great  j 
Comstock  lode  began  to  yield  its  millions. 
At  first  much  of  the  ore  was  hauled  to 
California  for  reduction  in  the  quartz  mills 
of  that  State,  but  this  soon  proved  too  ex- 
pensive, and  soon  steam  mills  were  in 
operation  all  alone:  tho  lode. 

Much  of  the  ore  at  first  extracted 
yielded  at  the  rate  of  $2000  per  ton,  and  aa 
these  results  became  known  the  country 
fairly  went  wild.  At  first  a  large  propor- 
j  tion  ot  the  precious  metal  in  ttie  oro  was 
i  lost  in  the  tailings  owing  to  faulty 
methods  of  reduction,  and  it  is  known  that 
millions  of  dollars  went  down  the  Carson 
river  in  those  days.  Efforts  have  been 
made  to  recover  a  portion  of  this  wealth, 
and  in  some  cases  handsome  profits  have 
beeu  realized. 

As  the  working  of  the  mines  progressed 
to  lower  depths  the  handling  of  the  water 
that  was  found  in  abundance  became  so 
serious  a  difficulty  tnat  it  threatened  to 
stop  all  work  below  a  certain  level.  To 
obviate  this  the  Sutro  tunnel  was  planned 
and  excavated  at  a  cost  of  over  $2,000,000, 
by  which  the  lower  levels  of  the  Comstock 
were  drained  and  their  continuation  made 
possible. 

The   great  richness  of  the   mines  when 
first  opened  caused  a  vaat  amount  ol  liti- 
gation,    rival     claimants     by    the'  score 
springing   up  for  e.^ch  mine,  and  millions  } 
of  dollars  were  thus  wasted.     A  season  of 
depression   followed,   but   in    1873  tha   la-  ' 
mous  ''Big  Bonanza"  was  struck  and  then 
ensued  the  famous  stock-gambling   period  — 
which  has  passed    into  history.     While  it 
lasted   fortunes  were  made   and    lost  in  a  , 
day,  the  entire  coast  was  demoralized  and  ^ 
millions   on  millions  of  dollars  were  loat 
and  won. 
The    aggregate   yield   of  the    Comstock  I 


lode  down  to  the  present  time  has  been 
about  $320,000,000.  In  the  same  period 
assessments  aggregating  over  $65,000,000 
have  been  levied,  and  dividends  of  $118,- 
000,000  wera  paid,  thus  giving  a  balance  to 
the  good  of  only  about  $160,000,000,  the 
balance  having  been  expended  in  costs  of 
operation. 

The  discovery  of  the  Comstock  stimu- 
lated prospecting  in  other  portions  of  the 
State,  and  many  other  silver  and  gold  de- 
posits were  found.  Among  the  notable 
loc  '.lities  where  important  discoveries 
were  made  were  the  Reese  river  district, 
from  the  mines  of  which  over  $20,000,000 
was  taken. 

The  Cortes  district  was  another  that 
caused  great  excitement,  as  the  largest 
ledge  in  the  State  was  found  here,  meas- 
uring some  400  fejet  in  width  by  18,000  or 
more  in  length.  In  so  en  years  the  mines 
on  this  ledge  yielded  $20,000,000,  but  now 
little  or  nothing  is  being  done. 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  State  the 
Pioche  district  was  the  scene  of  another 
rush  in  1869-70.  Hore  was  located  the 
famous  Raymond  <fe  Ely  mine,  but  after 
producing  over  $20,000,000  most  of  the 
mines  were  shut  down,  though  some  have 
been  reopened  and  promise  to  do  fairly 

The  White  Pine  rush  of  1868-69  ranked 
next  to  the  original  Corastock  excitement. 
A  number  of  good  mines  were  discovered,   I 
several  towns   were    built    and  expensive 
machinery  was    put  in  to  develop  the  de- 
posits and   work   the  ore.     But   like   the 
other  districts,   the  excitement  died   out  j 
almost  as   quickly  as    it    arose,    and   the 
towns  were  largely  abandoned   and   the  , 
mines  shut  down.     Some    little  work  is 
still    being    done,    and  it  is  believed    by 
many    that    the    district   contains   many 
mines  that,    under   modern  methods,  will 
yet  become  bullion  producers. 

In  other  portions  of  the  State  gold  and 
silvor,  as  vrell  as  less  valuable  minerals, 
have  been  discovered,  but  at  present  the 
mining  industry  is  at  a  low  ebb.  The 
last  report  of  the  Director  of  the  Mint  gave 
the  total  value  of  the  bullion  output  of 
the  State  fts  $8,553,000,  it  being  surpassed 
by  lour  other  localities — Montana,  Colo- 
rado, California  and  Utah. 

It  by  no  means  follows,  however,  that 
the  mines  of  Nevada  have  been  exhausted. 
On  the  contrary,  the  bullion  yield  is  slowly 
increasing,  and  the  time  will  doubtless 
come  whea  this  State  will  again  rank  well 
to  the  front  in  this  respect. 

ARIZONA. 


GOLD      AND       8II.VISK      FOUND       IN 
ABUNDANCE!. 


Hostile  Indians  Prerentingr  the  Derel- 
opment  of  Mine*  for  a  Century  or 
More— Howard*  Awaiting  Enterprise. 


is  over  a  century  and  a  half  since  the  j 
first    authentic     historical    account    was  1 
given  of  the  discovery  of  precious    metals  ' 
in  the  region  now  known  as   Arizona.     It 
is  true  tradition  from  the   first   advent  of  \ 
the  Spanish  conquerors  into   Mexico  as- 
signed to  this  locality  the   existence  of  I 
gold  ana  silver  mines  of  fabulous   rica-  L 
ness,  but  it  was  not  until   1736   that   any-F 
thing  definite  was   discovered  and  given  \ 
to  the  world.    In    that   year  a  very  rich 
!  silver  deposit  known  as   Boles  de  Plata 
was  found   at  Arizona,    and   the   Jesuits 
who  controlled   that  region   are   said    to 
have  opened  some  immensely  rich  mines. 

But  while  this  section  was  known  to 
possess  valuable  deposits  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver, its  remoteness  and  the  fact  that  it 
was  largely  overrun  with  tribes  of  cruel 
and  bloodthirsty  Indians  prevented  any 
systematic  working  or  exploration  for 
over  a  hundred  years. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  Gadsden 
treaty,  which  gave  Arizona  and  New 
Mexico  to  the  United  States,  that  the 
mines  of  Arizona  commenced  to  be  de- 
veloped, and  even  then  the  Indians  were 
so  troublesome  that  the  miners  literally 
took  their  lives  in  their  hands. 

In  1855  and  1856  the  silver  mines  near 
Tubac  were  worked  by  Americans,  as  were 
many  deposits  in  the  mountains  border- 
ing the  Santa  Cruz  valley.  Gold  placers 
were  found  a  year  or  two  later  on  tiie 
lower  Gila  and  afterward  on  the  Colorado, 
which  attracted  many  prospectors, particu- 
larly to  the  northwestern  part  of  tho.  Ter- 
ritory. 

Many  quartz  deposits  were   also   fonnd, 
and  it  soon  became  known   that   Arizona 
i  was  blessed  with  an  abundance  of  the  pro- 
|  cioua  metals,  but  the  fear  of  the   Apaches 
kept  the   miners  from   undertaking  any- 
thing like  systematic  development,    and 
for  years  prospectors   were  obliged    to  go 
about  their  work  with  a  pick  in  one  hand 
and  a  gun  in  the  other. 

In  1874,  However,  the  Apaches  were 
conquered  and  driven  from  a  large  part  of 
the  territory,  and  at  once  an  era  of  devel- 
opment set  in,  though  handicapped  by  lack 
of  transportation  facilities  and  by  resultant 
exorbitant  prices  for  alls  upplies.  The  ad- 
vent of  the  railroad,  which  reached  the  Colo- 
rado river  in  1878  and  was  subsequently 
extended  entirely  across  the  Territory, 
with  tho  subsequent  construction  of  a 
second  line  through  the  northern  portion 
of  Arizona,  greatly  stimulated  develop- 
ment, and  a  number  of  prosperous  dis- 
tricts were  opened  up. 

The  most  famous  of  these  perhaps  was 
the  Tombstone,  where  rich  silver  mines 
were  discovered  in  1878,  causing  a  rush 
that  built  up  a  large  town  and  opened  up 
a  number  of  notable  mines,  including  the 
Contention,  Grand  Central  and  Tomb- 
stone. These  mines  have  produced  many 
millions  of  dollars,  and  while  not  now 
yielding  so  l^rxely  as  in  the  past,  yet 
there  are  stiil  extensive  deposits  of  lower 
grade  ore  that  will  reoay  working. 


The  Quijotoa  and  the  Harqua  Hala  dis- 
tricts have  also  been  the  scene  of  extra- 
ordinary "rushes,"  which  have  resulted 
in  much  disappointment,  as  usual,  but 
accompanied  with  the  development  of 
several  valuable  mines  that  continue  to 
produce  bullion  in  paying  quantities. 

There  are  some  extensive  deposits  of 
copper  in  Arizona,  notably  at  Bisbee  and 
Clifton,  and  many  millions  of  dollars' 
worth  of  this  mineral  have  been  produced. 

Nearly  one-half  of  the  entire  area  of 
Arizona  is  mineral  bearing,  and  many  of 
the  deposits  are  of  phenomenal  richness, 
ore  yielding  from  $1000  to  $2J,000  a  ton 
being  not  infrequently  found.  A  metal- 
iferous  belt,  says  a  well-known  authority, 
extends  from  the  western  border  of  Moj-ive 
county,  below  the  big  bend  ot  the  Col- 
orado river,  trending  southeastward  to 
Gila  county,  thence  turning  soutnward  t<* 
the  Mexican  boundary.  Off  the  main 
belt  arc  the  Yuma  county  mines  of  gold, 
silver,  lead  and  copper,  and  in  the  ex- 
treme northeast  are  extensive  fielda 
of  bituminous  coal  of  good  quality, 
near  which  petroleum  has  been  found, 
This  great  belt  may  be  divided  into  four 
groups  of  mines,  the  first  those  of  Mojava 
county,  the  number  of  locations  there 
reaching  into  the  thousands.  The  second 
group  includes  the  mint's  of  Southern 
Yuvnpia  and  Northern  Maricopa,  where 
not  iess  than  10,000  mines  have  been  lo- 
cated. Farther  to  the  southeast  is  the 
third  group,  extending  across  the  Rio 
Verde  into  Giia  and  Final  counties,  the 
leading  districts  being  Pioneer  and  Globe. 
In  ?ima  and  Cochin  counties  is  found 
the  fourth  group,  lying  in  the  mountain 
ranges  bordering  on  the  Santa  Cruz  and 
Sun  Pedro  valleys,  including  the  famous 
Tombstone  mines. 

The  total  product  of  the  mines  of  Ari- 
zona since  it  became  the  proparty  of  the 
United  States  has  been  upward  of  a  hun- 
dred million,  though,  as  in  the  case  of 
California,  large  quantities  of  gold  dust 
have  been  produced  of  which  no  record 
has  been  kept,  it  not  having  entered  th« 
regular  channels  of  trade. 

OKEGON. 


FXiAOBB     AND     QUARTZ    DEPOSITS 
DISCOVERED. 


Districts  Which  Still  Yield  Well-Gold 
Claimed  to  Hare  Been  Disoorered 
in  the  Eastern  Fart  of  the  State  M 
as  1845. 


Oregon  has  never  ranked  as  a  gold-pro- 
ducing State,  but  nevertheless  it  possesses 
deposits  of  that  metal  which  have  in  the 
past  been  a  source  of  no  small  revenue, 
Eivrly  in  1850  some  Oregonians  who  had 
visited  the  placer  mines  of  California  and 
had  returned  home  found  gold  in  the 


Umpqua  valley,  and  in  the  following  year 


T          , 

nver  and  on  Josephine   creek,  and    named  also   showing   a    fair    product    of 
afterward    mines   were  opened    in    many    silver. 

other   localities.     In   fifteen    counties   of  -  *  -  — 

this  State  gold  has  been  mined,  the   lead-  WASHINGTON. 
ing  localities  being  the  counties  of  Grant, 

Baker,    Josephine,    Union    and  Jackson.  (  - 

„  ,*, 


tent.     In  the  last-named  section  there  are 
several     hydraulic      mines     successfully 


ABORIGIJ-  ES. 


At  various  points  along  the  Oregon 
coast  are  large  deposits  of  black  sand  in 
which  gold  occurs  in  considerable  quan- 
tities, and  which  have  bsen  worked  at 
different  times.  At  the  mouth  of  the 
Coquille  rivor  these  beds  are  several  feet 
in  thickness,  but  have  a  superincumbent 
bed  of  unproductive  sand,  which  is  a 
hindrance  to  their  being  profitably 
mined.  At  the  mouth  of  Rogue  river  are 
other  black-sand  deposits,  which  were 
discovered  and  worked  with  success  in 
1852,  and  at  various  times  since  then. 


callties—  Abundant  Opportunities  for 
Enterprise  and  Capital. 


As  in  the  case  of  Oregon,  it  is  believed 
that  gold  was  discovered  in  Washington 
some  time  prior  to  the  historical  Marshall 
incident  at  Coloma  in  1848.  It  is  related 
that  in  1846  a  French-Canadian  trapper 
who  visited  the  Cle-Elum  river  country 
for  the  purpose  of  trading  with  the  In- 
dians noticed  a  squaw  with  gol.l  bam 


do  not  save  more  than  a  third  of  that 
amount,  though  returning  even  then  a 
fair  profit. 

Although  placer  mining  had  been  snc-  ^ 
cessfully  prosecuted  in  a  number  of  local-' 


metal  about  hei 
leS8<   Upon  being  questioned  the  Indians, 

who  had  been  well  treated  by  the  trader, 
told  him  Avhere  they  had  obtained  the 
gold  and  showed  him  a  quantity  which 
they  had  collected  Tne  trapper  washed 

develop  them.  Most  of  the  paying  quartz  out  a  <iuantlty  of  the  metal  nnd  ^turned 
deposits  in  this  region  are"  found  in(;  to  his  home,  where  he  organized  a  party 
pockets,  several  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  purpose  of  instituting  a  system- 
having  been  realized  in  two  or  three  l  atic  search  for  gold.  The  entire  party 
years  in  Jackson  county  alone  from  such  was  subsequently  massacred  by  hostile 
mines.  In  the  valley  of  the  Rogue  river  1  Indians,  but  the  lame  of  the  Cle-Elum 
is  a  pockety  ledge  which  has  been  traced  placers  spread,  and  more  than  one  man 


a  distance  of  twenty  miles  and  is  260  feet 
in  width.  Assays  run  from  $2  to  $36  to 
the  ton.  q 

In  1860  quartz  veins  were  found  on  the 


made  a  stake"  there  in  later  years. 
The  actual  mining  history  of  this  re- 
gion,   however,    is    a  matter  of  corapara- 

tively  recent  date.      In   1868  the   famous 

Jautfain  and  Moballa  rivers,  tributaries  M  Skngit  river  placers  were  discovered, 
of  the  Willamette.  One  has  been  found  j  causing  one  of  the  "rushes"  for  which  the 
here  that  assayed  $40  to  $1L'0  to  the  ton.  l|  Pacific  coast  has  be.en  so  famous.  The 
In  Eastern  Oregon  it  was  believed  that  !  State  geologist  of  Washington  states  in 
gold  had  been  discovered  by  the  emigrant!  j  one  ot  his  reports  that  the  Skagit  placers 
several  years  before  the  California  excite-  \  hnve  yielded  as  high,  on  an  average,  as 
ment  of  1848,  but  nothing  definite  as  to  T1  $28  per  cubic  yard,  and  instances  have 
the  actual  existence  of  gold  in  that  region  !  been  cited  wherein  miners  have  secured 
was  learned  until  1859,  when  rich  diggings  •!  three  and  even  five  times  that  amount, 
were  found  in  the  Nez  Perce  country  and  n  While  the  Skagit  placers  may  now  be 
subsequently  on  the*  John  Day  and  Pow-  H  said  to  be  well  nigh  depleted  of  their  val- 
der  rivers.  Several  mining  towns  sprang  uable  contents,  it  is  the  fact  that  to  this 
up,  and  for  a  while  the  gold  output  was  day  on  portions  of  the  stream  placers  are 
very  large.  Some  mining  is  carried  on,  r  being  worked  vvith  good  results  by  many 


, 

though  Chinese  have  largely  monopolized 
tbe  business. 
In    1863   quartz   was   found    in  Eastern 


mners.  On  Ruby  creek,  a  tributary  ol 
the  Skagit  river,  some  fabulously  wealthy 
placers  were  found,  and  here,  too,  placer 

Oregon,  and   in   1864  a  mine  was  opened  i   mining   is    now    being    carried    on    with 
whicu  paid  largely  for  awhile.     A  number      profitable  results. 

of  other  quartz  deposits  have  also  been  Possibly  the  placer  deposits  in  Western 
worked  with  varying  success,  apeculiarity  ~!  Washington  now  engrossing  most  atten- 
being  that  while  the  ore  paid  when  worker  \  tion  are  those  located  along  the  Sultan, 
by  the  crude  arrastra  process  the  more  f^  Suoquamie,  Stillaguamish  and  Racing 
elaborate  stamp  mills  failed  to  obtain  '  rivers  in  northern  Western  Washington. 
bullion  enough  to  cover  running  expenses.  —  Like  those  of  the  Skasdt,  the  placers  of 
The  last  available  reports  credit  Oregon  ihe  Sultan  were  discovered  years  ago,  the 
with  a  production  of  gold  of  over  $1,200,-  first  gold  being:  taken  from  gravel  on  the 
000  a  year.  The  counties  contributing  'to  latter  stream  as  far  back  as  1809. 


this  yield  are  Baker,  Curry,  Coos,  Doug- 
ias,  Grant,  Jackson,  Josephine,  Linn, 
Lane,  Malheur.  Union,  Washington  and 


Aside  from  the  placer  deposits  of  the 
Skagit  and  Sultan  rivers  are  those  10  be 
found  along  the  Stillaguamiah,  Snoo^ual- 


mie  and  Raging  rivers.  On  the  former 
are  some  very  rich  deposits,  and  the  work 
done  in  the  fields  of  the  Snoqualtnie  has 
been  attended  with  an  amount  of  profit 
sufficient  to  warrant  miners  there  in  em- 
barking in  the  undertaking  next  year  on 
a  more  extensive  scale  than  ever. 

On  the  eastern  side  of  the  Cascade 
mountains  are  fourteen  different  streams, 
along  the  banks  and  in  the  immediate 
vicinage  of  which  paying  placers  have 
been  worked  tor  years. 

Pincer  gold  was  found  in  Eastern  Wash- 
ington long  antecedent  to  its  discovery  in 
the  western,  half  of  the  State.  In  fact, 
gold  was  found  along  the  streams  in  the 
middle,  northern  and  northeastern  por- 
tions of  this  State  way  back  to  the  early 
fifties,  and  it  is  believed  the  aborigines 
knew  of  its  existence  there  at  even  an 
earlier  period.  The  placers  of  O'Sullivan 
creek  and  Stmilkarnoen  river  have  been 
known  these  five  and  thirty  years  or  more 
TO  white  men.  From  these  placers  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars  have  been 
taken,  and  Chinese  miners  are  said  to  be 
working  them  with  profit  to  this  day. 

On  the  Columbia  river,  from  the  Little 
Dalles,  near  the  British  Columbia  bound- 
ary line,  to  Pasco,  in  Franklin  county, 
the  placers  Known  to  be  valuable  thirty 
years  ago  are  being  worked  with  profit  to 
this  day,  but,  in  the  majority  of  instances, 
by  Chinesa  miners. 

There  are  many  quartz  mines  in  various 
portions  of  the  State,  some  of  which  have 
paid  largely,  and  many  affording  promis- 
ing openings  for  the  investment  of  cap- 
ital. 

The  portions  of  Washington  in  which 
mining  is  being  actively  carried  on  at 
present  are  the  counties  of  Asotin,  Kit- 
titas,  .Lincoln,  Okanogan,  Stevens,  Spo- 
kane, Whatcom,  Walla  Walla,  Whitman 
and  Yakirna. 


that  were  the  fact  of  its  existence  known 
the  territory  would  be  overrun  with  Gen- 
xiles,  and  Mormon  influence  would  be  at 
an  end. 

It  is  impossible,  however,  to  keep  the 
facts  suppressed  for  any  length  of  time, 
though  it  was  many  years  after  the  first 
discovery  before  any  mines  were  opened. 
In  1863  some  of  the  soldiers  stationed  at 
Camp  Douglas  to  keep  the  Mormons  in 
order  discovered  rich  ore  in  Bricham 
canyon.  The  ore  carried  silver,  gold,  and 
lead,  the  first  named  metal  predominating. 
Its  discovery  brought  about. the  very  state 
of  affairs  that  the  Mormon  leaders  had 
feared.  The  Gentiles  came  in  in  numbers, 
and  the  search  for  mines  was  stimulated 
in  all  parts  of  the  territory. 

In   1872  the  famous    Ontario    mine  at 
Park  City  was  discovered,  yielding  in  the 
first  eleven  years  of  its  existence  $17,000.- 
000,  and  still  paying  large  returns.     Other 
'notable  mines    in    Utah    «re    the    Little 
"Emma,  which  produced  $2,000,000  in  the 
,  firs),  eighteen  months  after  it  was  opened- 

1     *•  K  rt        T?l  .,  svrti-,.  W        nTU<.AU          T -1. '      •    -.  1      1  1         • 


UTAH. 


OL.D        FIRST        FOUND       BY      THE 
MORMON      PIONEERS. 


Unsuccessful  Attempt  to  Keep  It  a 
Secret— Silver  Found  In  All  Parts 
of  the  Territory— Some  of  the  Nota- 
ble Mines. 


Of  the  exact  date  of  the  first  discovery  of 
gold  in  Utah  there  exists  no  record,  since 
that  discovery  was  followed  by  no  such 
excitement  as  characterized  a  similar 
event  on  the  other  side  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  the 
Mormons  found  gold  in  the  mountains 
near  Salt  Lake  very  soon  after  they  settled 
in  that  valley.  Their  leaders,  however,  dis- 
couraged them  from  prosecuting  the 
search  for  the  precious  metal  through  fear 


*.tAX2v  ^-*fe  **  n*v  ix   Auvsi-i  i/iia  til  LCI   ib   v>  i»i3   {JUtMltJtl 

the  Flagstaff,  which   has  also  yielded  in 
,  the  millions;  the  Horn  Silver  and  many 
others. 

!     Good  mines  are  now  being  worked  in  all 

•parts  of  the  Territory,  while  discoveries 

<are  continually  being  made  that  promise 

to  become  of  importance.     In  its  review 

of  the   mining  industry  of  Utah  for  the 

past  year  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune  said  that 

I  that   period  was  one  of  unusual  progress 

:  and  production  in  nearly  all  the   mining 

|  districts.      The  great  Park  City  district 

still  keeps  in  the  lead.     Extensive  devel- 

t  opmenU    and    improvements  have   been 

I  made.     In    this  district  are  the  famous 

j  Ontario,  Daly  and  Anchor  mines,  as  well 

as  many  others  of  leas  prominence,  but 

still  good- paying  properties.    All  the  old 

mines  here  are  looking  well,  while  work 

has  been  commenced  upon   the  Dolberg 

group,  of  which  much  is  expected. 

Tintic  is  one  of  the  oldest  camps  in  the 
State,  and  it  has  passed  through  the  vicis- 
situdes common  to  all  such  places.  It 
took  years  to  find  out  that  the  rich  sur- 
face deposits  were  not  all  that  was  good 
m  the  lodes.  When  these  surface  deposits 
were  worked  down  to  the  pyritea,  or 
"  white  iron,"  further  sinking  was  stopped, 
and  it  has  been  the  work  of  the  past  year 
or  two  to  demonstrate  that  there  is  min- 
eral in  paying  quantities  and  qualities 
below  this  iron  stratum,  and  many  old 
claims  will  soon  become  shippers.  In  the 
meantime  Tintic  is  spreading  out,  through 
having  a  new  district  called  North  Tintic 
joined  to  it.  .  A  railroad  was  built  into 
this  district  during  the  year,  and  the 
towns  of  Eureka,  Mammoth  and  Silver 
have  taken  a  new  lease  of  life.  West 
1  in  tic,  too,  has  come  to  the  front,  and 
Lewiston,  Camp  Floyd  and  other  places 
have  felt  the  spirit  ot  enterprise. 

Binjiharn    district    is    another   locality 
where  good  mines  were  found  years  ago, 
and  these  from  one  cause  or  another  were  '- 
shut  down.     It  is  really  surprising  to  see 
the    number  of   properties  opened  anew 


and  the  results  which  follow.  Jfart  of  this 
activity  is  largely  due  to  the  fact  that 
mines  can  now  be  worked  at  a  profit 
which  to  work  twelve  or  fifteen  years  ago 
simply  meant  loss  to  the  operator. 
Cheaper  processes  of  reduction,  lower 
ireight  rates  and  less  expense  in  operating 
a  mine  now  than  then  are  the  factors 
Which  have  worked  this  change. 
But  in  some  instances  the  reason  for  shut- 
ting down  these  mines  of  old  was 
the  bad  management  of  the  companies, 
mostly  such  as  were  outside  of  Utah. 
Bingham  was  never  more  prosperous  than 
it  has  been  the  past  year,  and  the  future 
is  certainly  bright  for  the  district.  Deep 
mining  has  proven  that  the  mineral  holds 
its  own  with  depth,  and  all  the  companies 
are  preparing  to  continue  downward. 
The  most  remarkable  record  of  the  year 
is  in  the  large  number  of  new  mines  de- 
veloped, and  which  have  paid  from  the 
grass  roots  down,  especially  at  the  head 
of  Carr  fork,  a  part  of  the  district  long 
neglected. 

The  situation  In  the  two  Cottonwoods 
was  greatly  improved.  There  was  some 
excitemeni  last  summer  about  mineral  in 
the  foothills  between  the  two  Cotton- 
woods,  and  quite  a  number  of  locations 
were  made.  Several  open  cuts  and  short 
tunnels  tapped  quartz  ledges,  but  as  yet 
not  enough  mineral  baa  been  found  to 
warrant  any  excitement.  It  is  thought, 
.however,  that  when  the  ledges  are  cut 
deep  enough  to  find  them  in  place  there 
may  be  gold  and  silver  enough  to  pay  for 
putting  in  reduction  works. 

Stockton,  Ophir  and  Dry  Canyon  made 
good  records  last  year,  and  there  is  a 
brighter  outlook  for  them  the  present 
year. 

Among  the  most  interesting  discover- 
ies or  the  year  were  those  in  Onaqua 
range  where  it  is  crossed  by  Johnson's 
pass,  and  in  some  of  the  other  ranges  on 
the  way  to  the  Deep  Creek  discoveries, 
made  subsequent  to  thoae  most  exciting 
of  all  developments  at  Dugway  and  Fish 
Springs. 

The  Deep  Creek  country,  of  which  the 
last  two  named  districts  are  a  part,  is  so 
extensive,  so  rich  in  mineral  and  such  an 
interesting  and  profitable  a  prospective 
field  to  be  reached  by  a  railway,  that  the 
proposed  line  thither  has  been  the  sub- 
ject of  great  discussion. 

There  is  another  interesting  situation  in 
the  southern  country.     The  developments  ! 
made   by  the  Dixie   Mining   Company  in 
Washington    county    opened   up  a  great 
copper  mine  which  paid  expenses  in  ship- 
pine:  copper  ore  of  high   percentage,  and 
in  smelting  at  St.  George  and  turning  out 
ninety  tons  of  copper  bullion. 
The  revival  of  Marysvale  district  and 


were  two  important IventsTHht1"1"101 
year.     This  happened   too  late'in  the  ?aSt 

?™judrL°i  _^  °«tpy  cysvs 

*nof°Sl   P^paratio; 


La  Plata,  at  the  north,  drew  hundreds 
of  prospectors  after  the  finding  of  ore 
there  in  August,  and  this  led  to  important  - 
discoveries  and  the  opening  of  quite  a 
number  of  mines.  The  whole  country, 
from  Ogden,  Brigham  City  and  Logan 
clear  over  to  the  Benr  Lake  v  illey,  is  be- 
ing prospected  and  many  ledges  are  found, 
chiefly  of  galena  and  carbonates  running 
low  in  silver,  while  on  the  east  side  of  the 
range  is  copper,  galena  and  carbonates  of 
lead. 

In  some  of  the  districts  of  Utah  the  i 
product  of  ores  was  cut  down  quite  seri- 
ously compared  with  what  it  would  have 
been  had  the  prices  of  silver  and  lead 
come  up  to  the  ideas  of  miners.  Then 
almost  every  camp  was  retarded  to  some 
extent  by  litigation,  which  tended  to  stop  \ 
production.  Vexatious  as  this  is,  it  is  an  I 
evidence  of  the  value  of  some  of  these 
mines,  since  there  is  much  truism  in  the 
saying  that  "a  good  mine  invites  a  con- 
test ot  title."  Again,  many  mine- owners 
lack  the  capital  to  work  their  properties, 
and  not  a  few  mines  are  leased  to  persons 
who  do  not  push  work,  or  they  bond  to 
those  who  hold  without  development. 
There  is  need  of  more  capital  in  all  the 
districts  and  there  are  many  good  oppor- 
tunities for  capitalists  to  invest. 

The  entire  mineral   output  of  the  ter- 
ritory for  1891  was : 
1,830,000  pounds  copper  at  5^ 

cents  per  pound $100,983  30 

6,170,000  pounds  refined  lead 

at  4  cents  per  pound 246,800  00 

80,356,528    pounds    unrefined 

lead  at  $60  per  ton 2,410,695  84 

8,915,223  ounces  flue  sliver  at 

98*4  cents  per  ounce 8,759,206  59 

36,160  ounces  fine  gold  at  $20 

per  ounce 723,200  00 

Total  export  value  $12,240,885  73 

Computing  the  gold  and  silver  at  their  mint 
valuation  and  other  metals  at  their  value  at 
the  seaboard,  it  would  increase  the  value  of 
the  product  to  $16,198,066  81. 

NEW  MEXICO. 


RICH      SII/VIER      MINKS      IN      MANY 
DISTRICTS. 


Beneficial  Effects  of  the  Tariff  on  Ores 
From  Mexico— Stimulating  Produc- 
tion in  Our  Own  Country— Oppor- 
tunities for  Profitable  Development. 


the  present  vear 


for 


New  Mexico  is  a  portion  of  the  region 
which  the  Spanish  conquerors  of  the  new 
world  believed  to  possess  rich  mines  of 
gold  'and  silver.  That  belief  has  been 
fully  justified  by  modern  discoveries, 
while  the  finding  of  ancient  workings  in  a 
number  of  localities  would  seem  to  deni- 
that  the  Spaniards  at  all  events 


made  a  systematic  search  for  the  precious 
metals,  and  appear  in  some  cases  to  have 
been  fairly  well  rewarded.  No  part  of 
the  country  is  so  rich  with  traditions  of 
hidden  mine*  as  this,  and  the  experience 
of  the  last  ten  or  fifteen  years  would 
seem  to  bear  out  the  truth  of  tradition  in 
this  respect. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  present  cen- 
tury placer  mines  were  opened  and  profit- 
ably worked  in  the  vicinity  of  Santa  Fe, 
and  during  the  period  of  Mexican  inde- 
pendence the  mines  of  this  section, 
worked  by  the  most  primitive  methods, 
yielded  good  returns. 

After  the  American  occupation  subse- 
quent to  the  Mexican  war  little  was  done, 
owing  to  the  unsettled  state  of  att  iirs 
and  the  troubles  with  the  Indians.  With 
the  subjection  of  the  Indian  subsequent 
to  the  close  of  the  civil  war  there  was  a 
large  immigration  into  New  Mexico,  and 
the  systematic  search  tor  and  develop- 
ment of  the  mineral  wealth  of  the  Tern-  > 
tory  began. 

In  Taos  and  Colfax  counties  much  gold 
mining,  placer,  hydraulic  and  quartz  was  r 
carried  on,   while  rich  deposits    of   silver 
were  found  about  Pinos  Altos,  Silver  Cit 
Hitlsborough   and    otner     localities. 
1880    the    transcontinental    railroad    was 
constructed  across  the  Territory,  and  this 
gave    mining    a    great  stimulus.     Grant,  f 
Sierra  and  Socorro  counties   are  the  lead- 
ing centers  of  silver   production,  and  the 
annual  output  is  large  and  constantly  in- 
creasine. 

In  his  last  annual  report  Governor 
Prince  stated  that  the  mining  industry 
throughout  the  whole  Territory  had  in- 
creased in  amount  and  profit.  "In  every 
section  there  is  an  enlarged  development. 
The  beneficial  effects  of  the  tariff  on  lead 
are  seen  in  all  ot  the  camps  where  an  ar- 
^entiferous  galena  is  the  staple  ore.  Re- 
fieved  of  a  degrading  competition  with 
the  ill-paid  labor  of  Mexico,  and  pro- 
tected in  the  receipt  of  a  fair  compensa- 
tion for  their  arduous  and  perilous  work, 
our  miners  are  flourishing,  and  at  the 
same  time  every  such  mine  is  running  to 
its  full  capacity.  The  greatness  of  the 


* '  I 

?o'j 

Sf- 


ty,  3 
In 


. 

present  output  is  illustrated  by  the   fact 
melers  are  not   able  to 


that  the  existing  smelters  are  not 
receive  all  the  ore  that  is  produced. 
This  will  probably  result  in  the  establish- 
ment of  a  large  smelting  plant  at  Cer- 
rillos  which  has  more  natural  advantages 
for  that  purpose  than  any  other  point  u 
the  Southwest,  and  probably  than  any 

a  'TneCpro»pectsofthe  mining  industry 
in  New  Mexico  were  never  so  bright  as  at 
present.  This  is  owing  to  the  intelh- 


receiving    from  $2  50  to    $3  50    per    day. 
Perhaps    no    plainer    illlustration   of  the 
necessity  of  a  proper  tariff  in   order 
protect  American  wages  from  being  re 
duced    to    the  level   of  those  received 
workmen  of  much  lower  grade  in  a  for 
eign  land  can  be  suggested  than  that  pre- 
sented by  lead.     On   one   side  of  the  Rio 
Grande  is  the  intelligent,    self- respecting 
American  miner,    accustomed    to    being 
well  fed,  well  clothed,  and  to  all  the  con- 
veniences   and   many    of  the  luxuries  of 
American  life,  and  with  ambition  to  accu- 
mulate   and    become     a    mine-owner    or 
otherwise    independent  himself.    On  the 
other  side  is  the   unintelligent  and  unam- 
bitious laborer,  satisfied   with   the   coarse 
food  and  hard  living  to  which  he  is  accus- 
tomed and  asking  for  nothing  better.    To 
•ubject  the  former  to  direct  competition  I 
;  with  the  latter  is   to  reduce  him   to   the 
I  lower  level    or    drive    him  to  some  other 
business.     Of  course  he  accepts  the  latter 
alternative,  and  so  our  mines   have  been 
closed.     But   with  the  protection  afforded 
by  the  tariff  on   lead,  all  this  is  changed, 
and    the    great    low-grade    mines    of  the 
Magdalenaa,  Cerrillos,  etc.,  will  soon  echo 
to  the  sound  of  the  pick  and  employ  hun-  j 
dre.Is  oi  well-paid  miners." 

Grant  county  is  the  largest  bullion-pro- 
ducing section"  in  the  Territory.  The  first 
discovery  of  the  precious  metals  in  the 
county  was  in  May,  I860,  when  gold 
was  found  at  Pinos  Altos.  About  1870 
silver  mines  near  Silver  City  began  to  be 
worked,  and  from  that  time  the  product 
of  both  metals  has  Always  been  consider- 
able, Georgetown  being  a  very  steady  and 
reliable  camp.  Last  year  the  last-men- 
tioned town  produced  367,500  ounces  of 
silver,  ot  which  the  Mimbres  Consoli- 
dated Company  is  credited  with  230,000. 
Other  large  producers  were  the  Mountain 
Key  with  $144,000,  the  Carlisle  $150,000 
(nearly  ail  gold),  and  the  Graphic  $31,000 
in  silver  and  lead.  Within  a  short  time 
very  rich  ore  has  been  discovered  in  a 
new  locality  near  Cook's  peak.  The  Santa 
Rita  copper  mine,  so  celebrated  for  al- 
most a  century,  and  which  is  the  only 
mine  mentioned  by  Pike  in  his  passage 
through  the  country  in  1807,  is  again  be- 
ing worked  to  the  extent  of  about  250tons 
of  copper. 


There  are  no  less  than  eighty-five  or- 
ganized mining  districts  in  the  Territory 
„  |  as  follows:  Elizabethtown,  Ciruarron, 
Coyote,  Guadaiupita,  Moreno  valley,  Rio 
Hondo,  Copper  Mountain,  Taoa,  Picuns. 
Arroyo  Hondo,  Petaca,  Mora,  Mineral 
City,  Gold  Hill,  Rio  de  la  Vaca,  Pecos, 
Glorieta,  Cerrillos.  San  Pedro,  Galisteo, 
Bernahllo,  Silver  Buttes,  Nacimiento,  Laa 
Placitas,  Tijeras  Canyon,  Hell  Canyon, 


pioad.^.      - —   — a    -  Mount  Taylor,  Manzano,   La  Joya,    I* 

gent  and  patriotic  action  of  the  last  L  -  droneg  Sprine  Hill,  Council  Rock,  Gal- 
gress  Our  principal  mineral  product  is  • 
silrer,  and  the  great  majority  of  our 
mines  are  ot  low  grade,  the  ore  being  an 
argentiferous  galena,  carrying  ten  ounces 
or  less  of  silver  to  the  ton,  but  being  very 
rich  in  lead.  For  several  years  during 
the  importation  of  similar  ores  from 
Mexico  without  the  payment  of  duty, 
these  mines  in  our  territory  were  neces- 
sarily closed,  for  it  was  impossible  for  us 
to  compete  in  the  production  of  these 
galena  ores  with  the  cheap  peon  labor  ol 
Mexico  while  our  American  miners  were 


linas,  Iron  Mountain,  Pueblo,  Magda- 
lena,  Socorro,  Oscura,  Hanson,  San 
Andres,  San  Cristobal,  Apache,  Black 
Range,  Cuchilla  Negra,  Coonev,-  Caballo, 
Mountain,  Rincon,  Jicarilla,  White  Oaks, 
Vera  Cruz,  Nogal,  White  Mountain, 
Tula  Rosa,  Jarilia,  San  Augustin, 
Lake  Valley,  Hiilsborough.  Animas, 
Percha,  Mimbres,  Santa  Rita,  Lone 
Silver  Flat, 
Altos,  Burro 

Mountain,    Stein's    Peak,    Virginia     and 
fehakespeare,      Cook's      Peak,      Victoria, 


Mountain,        Hanover, 
Chloride      Flat,      Pinoa 


Florida,  Tres  Hermauos,  Carizallllo, 
Etireka,  San  Simon,  Rio  Grande,  Rio 
Colorado,  Las  Vegas,  Mongollon,  Capitan, 
Santa  Fe,  New  Placers  and  Old  Placers. 

MONTANA. 


THE    JLEADING     BUI^ION-PRODUO 
ING     STATBS. 


Richest  Silver  Mine  in  tne  World— Orer 
Four  Hundred  Millions  Produced  in 
Thirty  Years  by  the  Mines  of  This 
Young  State. 


Montana  occupies  to-day  the  proud 
position  of  the  principal  bullion- produc- 
ing State  in  the  entire  country.  Since  the 
placers  were  first  discovered  in  thia  re- 
gion, in  1862,  the  mines  have  yielded  up- 
ward of  $450,000,000  in  gold  and  silver 
bullion,  and  this  amount  is  being  added 
to  at  the  rate  of  more  than  $30,000,000  an- 
nually. 

Gold  is  found  in  a  greater  number  of 
forms  herq  and  In  more  widely  distributed 
than  in  any  other  gold-producing  region. 
No  laws  seem  to  govern  its  presence,  and 
it  is  as  apt  fco  be  found  in  one  geological 
formation  as  another.  Indeed,  the  sup- 
posed laws  that  govern  its  presence  ap- 
pear entirely  inapplicable  here. 

While  gold  placers  were  first  discovered 
in  1862,  it  was  not  until  two  years  later  that 
much  attention  was  attracted.  In  1864 
rich  diggings  were  found  on  Last  Chance 
gulch,  and  the  man  who  discovered  them 
took  out  a  fortune  in  a  short  time.  The 
news  of  his  good  fortune  spread  rapidly 
and  within  a  few  mouths  hundreds  of 
men  flocked  in,  and  the  town  of  Helena, 
the  present  capital  of  the  State,  was  laid 
out.  During  the  next  two  or  three  years 
many  mines  were  discovered  within  a 
radius  of  150  miles  of  Helena,  and  an  idea 
of  their  richness  may  be  formed  from  the 
tact  that  in  the  latter  part  of  1866  a  single 
shipment  of  two  and  a  half  tons  of  solid 
gold  was  made  from  Helena. 

Quartz  was  discovered  in  the  Bannack 
district  in  1862,  and  it  was  worked  in  a 

i  primitive  sort  of  fashion,  but  the  com- 
mencement of  the  great  quartz  mining  ex- 
citement was  not  until  two  years  later, 
when  the  famous  Whitlatch  mine  was 
discovered  in  Last  Chance  gulch.  In  less 
than  three  years  this  mine  produced  over 

i  $1,000,000,  and  its  discovery  marked  the 
commencement  of  the  mineral  develop- 
ment of  this  section,  which  has  resulted 

<  in  putting  it  into  the  front  rank  of  the 

.  mining  States. 

In  the  ten  years  from  1880  to  1890  the 

i  mines  of  Montana  produced  a  full  quarter 


°f  a  billion  dollars,  nearly  one-third  of  I 
which   was  disbursed    in   dividends      At 
he  present  time  this  State   possesses   the 
largest  copper  mine,  the  largest  gold  mine 
and  the  largest  silver  mine  in  the    uSted 
States       These    are    the  Anaconda,    the1 
Drum-Lummond  and  the  Granite  Mount- 

The  principal  mines  so  far  developed  are 
in  the  counties  of  Silver  Bow,  Deer  See 
Lewis  an.l  Clarke,  B9aver  Head  and I  Mad! 
ison  but  m  all  portions  of  the  State  pros- 
Pjpting  is  actively  progressing  and  ralu- 

maL      ThVeneS    ar?    bein*  Continually 
nade.     There    are    in    operation    in    the 
State  ten  gold  mills,  eighteen  silver  mills 
•oven  lead  smelters,   eighty  copper  smell 
ters   and twenty- fiv*  concentrators,    the 
ns  da?l    Capacity  ot  which  is  over  °000 
The  mine  which  has  made  the  name  of 
Montana  more  widely  known   than   any 
other  is  the  Anaconda.    This  is  one  of  the 
greatest  mines  in  the  world.     It  is  located 
on  a  hill  which  lies  northeast  of  Butte  and 
the  great  copper  belt  that  half 
circles  the  city.     It  was  purchased  in  1881  ! 
by   Marcus   Daly  for  $30,000,  an  amount  it 
can  now  produce  every   day   in  the   year. 
There  ars  two   three-compartment   shafts 
— one  on  each,  the  Anaconda  and  St.  Law- 
rence— the  former  1000  feet  deep,    and  the 
latter  680  feet  deep,  it  at  that  depth  being  | 
on  a  level  with  the  800-foot  station  of  the  i 
Anaconda.      On    all    the    levels    between 
the    third    and    eighth  the    tvro     mines 
are       connected,       and      some      stoping  | 
has  been  clone,  but  this  is   inconsiderable, 
as  compare'!  with  the   vast  field  that  re- 
mains to  b^  workad.     There  are  on   the 
different  levels  miles  of  drifts   and   cross- 
cuts tapping  the  ore    bodies,    which   vary 
in  size,  but  which  have  an  average  of  fifty 
feet  in  width  for  a  known  distance  of  30JO 
feet.     These    different    levels    have    been 
worked  from  time  to  time,  as  the  general 
development  required,  bat  no  attempt  has 

yet  been  made  to  work  out  any  portion  of  •' 
the  great  mass.     It  is   hard    ito  reconcile 
this   statement  with    the    announcement 
that  the  hoisting  cnpacity  of  the  works  is 
1500  tons  daily,  and  that   they  are  worked 
to   their  full   capacity,  and   that  amount 
shipped    every   day  to    the    smelter;  yet 
such  is  the  fact,  and  while  there  must  be 
big  holes  in  the  mines,  there   is   far  more 
metal  remaining  than  has  yet  been  touched.  I 
The  policy  of  the  company  Is  only  to  mine 
as  much  ore  as    can    be  utilized    at    the  > 
smelters;  yet  with  the  wonderful  capacity 
of  the  latter  there  are  now  on   the  dump 
at  thi>  mines  over    100,000   tons.    To  give  i 
an  idea  of  the  amount  that  is  taken  out  of  j 
the  mines,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  in  a  ! 
single  year  there  has   been   shipped   from 
them    over    600,000    tons,    and    that    the 
capacity    of   the     railroad    company    in 
transporting    it  between  tha  mines  and 
smelter,  some  twenty  miles   distant,  has 
been  unequal   to  the"  supply.     There  are 
employed  in  and   about  the   mines  more 
than  800  men,  all  of  whom  receive  large 
wages.     The  smelter  is  the  largest   in    the 
world,  having  a  daily  capacity  of  3500  tons, 


and    employing    directly    and    indirectly 
some  3000  men. 

The  Granite  Mountain  mine,  located 
some  twenty  miles  west  of  Deer 
Lodge,  is  the  largest  silver  mine 
in  the  world,  having  paid  an  aver- 
age of  over  $2,000,000  yearly  in  divi- 
dends since  its  systematic  working  was 
commenced.  The  property  of  this  com- 
pany  consists  of  eight  lodes,  two  miles 
Jong  by  2500  feet  in  width,  and  the  ore 
runs  from  $50  to  $100  a  ton. 

The  Drum-Lummond  mine  is  situated 
at  Marysville,  near  Helena,  and  is  an  im- 
mense body  of  low-grade  gold  quartz.  In 
five  years  it  produced  $6,000,000,  of  which 
over  one-third  was  paid  in  dividends  to  j 
the  stockholders. 

About  twenty-five  miles  south  of  Hel- 
ena is  the  silver-mining  center  of  Wickes,  ( 
in  whose  vicinity  are  four  very  promising 
mining  districts,  viz.:  Boulder,  Cataract, 
Colorado  and  Vaughn.  These  districts 
contain  a  dozen  or  more  mines  whose 
present  resources  and  systematic  develop- 
ment justify  placing  them  in  the  front 
rank  among  the  very  best  properties  in 
the  West.  The  Alta-Montana  Company 
ofNewYorfc  city  has  been  fortunate  in 
securing  the  best  of  these.  The  Alta  vein 
averages  from  four  to  twelve  feet  in  thick- 
ness, embracing  galena,  carbonates  and 
true  silver  ores  which  assay  from  $60  to 
i  $140  per  ton  in  silver  and  40  to  60  per  cent 
1  lead.  The  ores  novr  being  treated  from 
the  various  mines  show  an  assay  value  of 
from  $50  to  $90.  The  ora  now  uncovered 
and  ready  tor  extraction  is  estimated  to 
supply  the  great  smelting  worita  in  opera- 
tion for  years. 

The  mines  of  Beaver  Head  and  Madison 
counties  in  Southern  Montana  are  steady 
and  large  producers  and  give  promise  of  a 
future  immediately  brilliant,  because  of 
their  nearness  to  the  Utah  and  Northern 
branch  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway, 
which  is  fairly  among  them.  The  advan- 
tage they  possess  because  of  their  accessi- 
bility and  the  easa  and  economy  with 
which  machinery  and  supplies  can  be 
transported  to  them,  or  ores  carried  out, 
are  items  which  will  enter  largely  into  their 
future  history.  Both,  counties  abound  in 
rich  mineral  districts,  the  quartz  minea  of 
Beaver  Head  county,  however,  just  at 
present  attracting  by  far  the  larger  share 
of  attention.  Tha  nrst  gold  mining  opera- 
tions of  note  in  Montana  occurred  in  the 
fall  of  1862  at  Bannack  in  this  county,  and 
since  then  some  $5,000,000  worth  of 
placer  gold  has  been  produced.  There  j 
are  seven  organized  mining  districts 
within  the  bounds  of  Beaver  Head.  In  ; 
these  are  some  of  the  very  best  mines  in 
the  State,  and  a  number  which  have 
yielded  small  quantities  of  fabulously  rich 
gold  ores. 

In  Missoula  county,  in  the  northwest  i 
corner   of    the    State,    a    grand    mineral  , 
wealth  is  also  indicated  by  old  and  recent 
developments.     In  the  eastern  part  of  the 
county    is   Wallace    mining    district,     in 
which  quartz  ledg«»,  rich  in  gold,  silver 
and  copper,  are  plainly  traced   to  a  great 


opera- 
thus i    far 


Judith 
sensation 

nr°nv  ^in  *Ehese  districts  hare 
PM  ..rather  unsatisfactory, 
of  Great  Falls  claim  that  developments 
now  progressing  there  will  prove  them 
quite  extensive  and  rich.  Excellent  silver 
quartz  has  been  discovered  in  Barker  dis- 
trict, near  Great  Fails.  It  is  a  very  heavy 
galena,  carrying  twenty  to  fifty  ounces  of 
silver  per  ton  and  from  60  to  75  per  cent 
lead. 

There  is  not  a  miner  in  the  Territory 
who  believes  that  more  than  one  lead  has 
been  found  out  of  every  hundred  that  are 
in  the  hills  waiting  for  the  prospector's 
pick  to  uncover  them.  Extensive  regions 
lying  within  the  Territory  have  not  been 
prospected  at  all.  Other  great  areas  are 
known  to  contain  large  bodies  of  ore,  but 
prospectors  are  not  sufficiently  numerous  i 
to  permit  those  regions  to  be  prospected. 
Well  educated  men  who  are  familiar  with 
the  mineral  belts  of  ta*  Territory  declare 
their  belief  that  taere  is  mora  goici  ana 
silver  in  Montana  than  there  is  now  in 
circulation  in  the  world,  and  that  her 
mines  will,  inside  of  the  next  seventy-five 
years,  yield  $5,000,000,000,  which  gum 
equals  the  money  in  circulation  to-day. 


IDAHO. 


RICH       PLACER        DEPOSITS 
QUARTZ    MINES. 


AND 


The  Wood  River,  Owyliee  and  Coeur 
d*  Alone  Discoveries  —  Immensely 
Rich.  Gravel  Mines  and  Quartz 
Hedges—Ore  Worth  84  an  Ounce. 


The  first  discoveries  of  mines  in  Idaho 
were  made  while  this  section  was  still  ft 
portion  of  Oregon  and  Washington.  In 
1860  the  discovery  of  rich  placers  on  the 
Clearwater  and  Salmon  rivers  attracted 
many  prospectors,  though  trouble  with 
the  Indians  prevented  any  great  develop- 
ment for  several  years.  In  1862  the  fam- 
ous Boise  placer  mines  were  found,  in 
which  the  average  earnings  were  $18 
a  day,  and  $100  to  the  pan  was  nothing 
extraordinary.  Several  cases  are  reported 
where  miners  took  out  as  high  as  $1500  a 
day  for  longer  or  shorter  periods.  Many 
millions  of  dollars  were  washed  from 
these  rich  placers,  the  annual  production 


having  been  upward  of  $10,000,000  for  sev- 
eral years.  The  palmy  days  of  placer 
mining  in  Idaho  were  from  1860  to 
1865. 

Then  came  a  period  of  depression,  which 
lasted  for  a  long  time,  but  about  ten 
years  ago  there  was  a  revival  in 
quartz  mining,  which  has  continued 
to  increase  constantly  down  to  the  pres- 
ent time.  The  first  great  aaartz  mining 
excitement  in  Idaho  occurred  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  then  Territory  in  the 
summer  of  1863.  Several  deposits  were 
found  here  which  assayed  from  $1200  to 
$2700  a  ton  in  gold,  accompanied  by  silver 
to  the  value  of  $27  to  $95.  On  Granite 
creek  other  rich  discoveries  followed, 
notably  one  from  which  the  poorest  rock 
gave  $62  to  the  ton  and  the  richest  $6000 
to  $20,000.  Many  towns  sprang  up  in  the 
Boise  basin  in  consequence  of  these  dis- 
coveries and  thousands  of  people  poured 
into  the  country.  The  remoteness  of  the 
district  from  transportation  lines  made 
the  introduction  of  mining  machinery 
very  expensive  and,  in  fact,  almost  im- 
possible, and  for  a  considerable  period  the 
primitive  nrastra  was  the  sole  method  of 
working  the  rich  quartz  that  was  tound  in 
abundance.  At  one  time  there  were 
eighty-four  of  these  crude  mills  at  work 
in  South  Boiae. 

In  1863  the  rich  Owyhee  placer  fields 
were  opened,  and  at  the  same  time  many 
valuable  silver  ledges  were  found  in  the 
same  region.  The  first  quartz  mill  in  this 
region  was  erected  at  War  Eagle  moun- 
tain in  1864,  and  in  1865  in  the  same  lo- 
cality was  discovered  the  famous  Poor- 
man  mine,  the  ore  in  which  was  the 
richest  ever  known.  It  was  chloride  of 
silver,  impregnated  with  gold,  and  was 
sold  at  the  rate  of  $4  an  ounce  just  as  it 
came  from  the  mine. 

In  1864  the  first  discoveries  in  the  Wood. 
river  region  were  made,  but  owing  to 
Indian  and  other  troubles  it  was  not 
until  1879  that  this  section  was  really 
opened.  The  Wood  river  rush  is  famous 
in  the  annals  of  mining  in  the  West.  Ore 
that  produced  $11,000  to  the  ton  was 
found,  while  the  average  ran  from  $100  to 
$500.  The  mineral  belt  extends  some 
eighteen  miles  in  length,  and  many  mines 
have  been  opened  and  mills  erected  which 
are  producing  millions  of  dollars  an- 
nually. 

In  1875  the  Yankee  Fork  district,  north 
of  Salmon  river,  was  opened,  the  first 
discovery  there  being  a  mine  that  yielded 
$2000  to  the  ton.  Among  the  notable 
mines  of  t'his  district  is  the  Custer, 
which  was  largely  worked  by  simply 
quarrying  out  the  ore  from  the  surface. 
One  of  the  largest  silver  veins  known  in 
the  world  is  situated  here.  It  is  called 
the  Cow's  Horn  and  there  are  twenty-four 
claims  on  it,  each  of  which  is  1500  feet  in 
length.  The  ore  assays  as  high  as  800 
ounces  of  silver  to  the  ton. 
I  The  Cariboo  placers,  on  the  headwaters  • 


of  the  Snake  river,  were  discovered  in 
1870  and  yielded  a  quarter  of  a  million  an- 
nually for  tea  years  or  more.  Subse- 
quently quartz  was  found  which  assayed 
high  and  haa  given  the  district  perma- 
nence. 

One  of  the  notable  rushes  of  which 
Idaho  has  been  so  prolific  was  the  Coeur 
d'Alene  excitement  in  1883.  That  dis- 
trict has  gone  through  the  usual  history 
of  mining  development,  and  haa  a  num- 
ber of  quartz  and  hydraulic  mines  that 
pay  well. 

The  leading  bullion  producing  section 
of  Idaho  at  present  is  Shoshoue  county, 
which  turns  out  over  $2,000,000  annually, 
the  bulk  being  silver.  Next  in  rank  is 
Owyhee  county,  with  a  product  of  nearly 
a  million  and  a  half,  and  then  come  Cus- 
ter,  Alturas,  Boise,  Lemhi,  Logan,  Idaho 
and  El  more. 

There  is  an  almost  unlimited  oppor- 
tunity in  Idaho  for  the  development  of 
good-paying  mining  properties.  The  ex- 
tension of  railroads  through  the  State  is 
opening  new  districts  and  opportunities 
for  the  profitable  investment  of  capital 
are  to  be  found  in  gre-it  numbers. 

COLORADO. 


IMMENSE  PRODUCTION   OP  SII/VJBR 
AND    GOtD. 


An  Average  of  Thirty  Million  Dollars 
Annually  Turned  Out  of  Her  Mines— 
Where  Gold  Was  First  Discovered— 
The  Usual  Kxcitement. 


Colorado  disputes  with  Montana  the 
honor  of  leadership  in  the  production  of 
the  precious  metals,  the  output  of 
the  two  States  mentioned  having  been 
very  nearly  equal  for  several  years  past, 
being  in  round  numbers  some  thirty 
millions  of  dollars.  The  figure*  of  Color-  f 


T 


ado's    production    for    the    twenty  years 
between  1870  and  1890  were  as  follows: 


-"  O  ».O  OCC!t^t>CO^^JOOOC>O'-ieoOt> 
CO  O  *#  O  O  30  »  O  00  r-<  tO  O  O  l>  O  O  O  M  O  & 
Q 0,0©  OOO 0^05  ?!  r-i  *  O  O  rH_O  5  CO  CO  lO  rH 

"''"~ 


gg 


ID  CO  CC  O  O  l>  -0  <M  CO 

f&C*  t>  'O  00  •>*  CO  M  t> 

W  ••£>  If)  » 


t> 

co 


ci  ci  m 
sf  t>  cooJoo  of 


)  CO  t>  r-(  i-l  CO  < 
)  ^sH  •*  CO  t>  CO  i 


O  O  <M  O  O  ^  C^  -*  Ci  Oi  O 

O  O  t^l>  O_I-^t>  H_-^rH^ 

"cf  oi  HH  cfcC  ci  coco  co'co" 


The  history  of  mining  in  Colorado  is  re- 
plete with    interest,    that    State    having 

been  the  scene  of  some  of  the  most  re- 
markable discoveries  that  have  ever  been 
recorded.  When  the  fact  first  became 
known  that  the  precious  metals  existed  in 
Colorado  there  is  no  record  to  show. 
In  the  southern  portion  of  the 
State,  where  are  the  remarkable 
ruins  of  the  cliff  dwellings,  have  been 
discovered  abandoned  shafts  and  other  in- 
dications of  the  discovery  of  gold  or  silver, 
and  perhaps  boih,  by  prehistoric  peoples. 
By  some  it  is  thought  that  the  Spanish 
conquerors  of  Mexico  penetrated  into  this 
region  in  their  wild  search  for  gold,  but  of 
this  there  is  no  proof. 

Coming  down  to  later  times  it  Is  a  matter 
of  tradition  that  the  Indians  who  fre- 
quented the  South  Park  and  other  locali- 
ties were  possessed  of  lumps  of  gold  found 
there  by  them,  and  when  the  great  army 
of  gold-hunters  poured  across  the  plains 
to  the  mines  of  California  there  were  not 
wanting  an  abundance  of  rumors  that  the 
streams  and  gulches  on  the  eastern  slopes 
of  the  Rocky  mountains  contained  the 
precious  metal  for  wjjich  all  were  in 
search.  But  the  determination  to  reach 
the  mines  of  California  was  too  strong  to 
permit  of  loitering  or  halting  by  the  way, 
even  though  the  existence  of  mines  in 
Colorado  had  been  positively  demon- 
strated, and  hence  years  passed 
those  mines  became  known. 


It  was  not  until  1858  that  the  question 
was  definitely  settled  by  the  discovery  of 
placer  deposits  near  Cherry  creek,  and  this 
was  followed  by  an  excitement  second 
only  to  that  which  followed  the  discover- 
ies ten  years  before  in  California.  The 
famous  "Plica's  Peak  rush"  is  historical. 
It  was  estimated  that  fully  a  hundred 
thousand  people  poured  into  this  region 
during  the  year  after  the  first  discovery  of 
gold  in  Colorado,  a  large  share  of  whom 
returned  to  the  East  discouraged  and  dis- 
heartened. 

Following  the  discoveries  in  the  vicinity 
of  where  Denver  is  now  located,  came  the 
location  of  rich  mines  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  State,  it  being  a  remarkable 
tact,  however,  that  while  Colorado  was 
destined  to  win  her  greatest  fame  as  a 
producer  of  silver,  the  earliest  miners 
knew  nothing  of  the  presence  of  that 
metal,  but  confined  their  efforts  entirely 
to  the  search  for  gold. 

In  a  short  time  after  the  first  discover- 
ies the  yield  of  gold  amounted  to  $7,500,000 
annually,  and  an  unprecedented  rush  took 
place  which  lasted  for  several  year*.  The 
placer  diggings  were  thronged,  and  soon 
quartz  deposits  were  discovered  which 
i  very  rich.  In  July,  1859,  the  first 
&i.  :ra  was  put  in  operation,  and  within 
a  I'.jw  months  several  steam  and  water- 
p-  ver  quartz  mills  were  at  work. 

The  same  methods  that  had  been  em- 
ployed in  California  in  working  gold 
quartz  were  put  into  operation  here,  but 
the  ores  proved  refractory,  and  many 
mills  were  shut  down  because  of  their  in- 
ability to  save  enough  of  the  gold,  that 
was  undoubtedly  present,  to  p;iy  expenses. 
The  output  of  the  State  fell  off  materially, 
and  a  season  of  depression  ensued. 

All  this  time,  while  the  presenceo  f  sil- 
;  ver  was  known  to  a  greater  or  less  extent, 
no  attempt  had  been  made  to  work  the 
ores,  in  fact  their  richness  not  being  un- 
derstood. 

It  was  not  until  1868  that  a  smelting  es- 
tablishment for  handling  silver  was  put 
into  successful  operation,  and  from  that 
time  the  permanent  prosperity  of  Colo- 
rado and  its  prominence  as  a  silver-pro- 
ducing State  is  actually  dated.  There  has 
been  a  steady  increase  in  tha  bullion 
product  of  the'State  until  it  has  reached 
the  point  at  which  it  has  remained  for 
several  years — not  varying  much  from 
$30, 000, 000  annually. 

The  most  remarkable  of  all  the  Colorado 
mining  regions  in  many  respects  is  Lead- 
ville.  This  section  was  at  first  a  placer 
mining  camp,  and  fairly  good  diggings 
were  found.  In  digging  for  gold  heavy 
masses  of  a  peculiar  rock  were  discovered 
which  were  cast  aside  as  worthless,  nor 
was  it  for  a  long  time  that  it  was  learned 
that  this  despised  material  was  silver  ore 
of  the  ricnest  kind.  The  ledges  at  Lead- 
ville  are  what  is  known  as  blanket  veins, 
and  from  this  section  comes  fully  half  of 
the  bullion  product  of  the  State. 

New   discoveries    are  constantly  being 
made  in  various  portions  of  the    State,  , 
during    the  past  year  much   excitement  H 


I 


baying  been  caused  by  the  Creede  and 
Cripple  creek  rushes,  great  things  being 
promised  for  those  c*mps. 


ALASKA. 


The      ^Largest 


in      the 


Quartz 
World. 

Mining   is    carried    on    extensively    in 
I  Alaska,  and  prospectors  may  be  found  in 
!  all  parts  of   the   Territory.     This  region 
can   boast  the  largest  mill  in  the  world. 
It  is  situated  on   Douglas  island,  at  the 
,mine  known  as  the  Treadwell,  and  with 
its   240  stamps,    ninety-six   concentrators 
and  twelve  ore    crushers,    forms   a  veri- 
table   sight   for    tourists.     In    the   Silver 
Bow     basin,     near     Juneau,     and    other 
points  in  Southeastern  Ale  ska,  the  Quartz  , 
mines  are  being  actively  developed.  There 
are  fifteen  mills  in  operation    for  crushing! 
the  ore  brought  from    the  various  mining 
locations  within  a  radius  of  500  miles  from'1 
Sitka.     The  low-grade  ores  found   in  thiS[; 
portion  of  the  Territory  yield  66  ounces  of 
silver  and  $4  in  gold  to   the   ton,  those  of  \ 
higher  grade  giving   returns  of  340  to  350 
ounces  of  silver  and  $22  in  gold  to  tne  ton.  n 

Considerable  quantities  ot  silver  ore  have    ' 
been  shipped  to  Son  Francisco  for  treat-  i 
ment,    with  satisfactory  results.     In  the  ' 
Berner  Bay  district  development  has  been  [ 
carried     far    enough    forward    to    dem- 
onstrate     to      a      certainty     the      fact 
that     the    lodes    are    strong,     well     de- 
fined   and    unusually    rich.      Premising' 
silver  discoveries  are  also  reported  to  have 
been  made  in  the  same  district,    while  a 
vein  of  that  mineral  recently  opened   on 
an    island    in    Glacier    bay  is  said  to  be] 
yielding  results  far  beyond   the  most  san- 
guine anticipations  of  the  owners. 

Numerous     new     discoveries     are    an- 
nounced irom  various  parts  of  Southeast- 
ern  Alaska.     One   of   these   not  far  Ironx 
Juneau  City   promises   the   addition   of  a 
number  of  valuable  mines  to  those  already  r 
opened  or  in    progress    of  development.  I 
The   discovery,    located  on    one    of    the 
branches  of  Sheep  creek,  which  last  emp- 
ties into  Gastinaux  channel,    nearly   op- 
posite the  big  mill  on   Douglas  island,  is 
believed  to  be  an  extension  of  the  Silver 
Bow  basin  belt,    though  in  some  of  the 
lodes  silver  predominates,  which  is    notj 
the  case  with   those    of  the  Silver  Bow  [ 
basin.      The    ore     carries     galena,    zinc  i 
blende    and  copper  pyrites,    the    assays 
showing  w«ll  in  gold,   with  a  very   large  •< 
percentage  of  silver. 


Norton  sound,  and  the  only  disadvan- 
tage is  that  the  ore  has  to  be  packed  some 
miles  to  the  river  and  thence  transported 
in  light-draught  boats  to  the  head  of 
ocean  navigation.  The  ore  is  an  argenti- 
ferous galena,  carrying  irom  75  to  85  per 
cent  of  fine  lead  and  from  $100  to  $250  in 
silver  to  the  ton.  In  the  Yukon  country 
a  great  deal  of  gravel  mining  is  done,  bat 
the  seasons  are  so  short  that  little  profit 
remains  to  the  miners. 

MIMING    LAWS. 

How  to  File   Claims   Upon  and   Obtain 
Patents   for  Mines. 

In  connection  with  the  subject  which 
has  here  been  treated  at  length  It  will  be 
of  interest  to  many  to  give  a  digest  of  the 
laws  governing  the  acquisition  of  mining 
lands,  and  the  process  of  "taking  up" 
claims  and  obtaining  patents  therefor. 

The  law  governing  the  location  of 
dims  on  veins  or  lodes  provides  that  any 
person  who  is  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  or  who  has  declared  his  intention 
to  become  a  citizen  may  locate,  record 
and  hold  a  mining  claim  of  1500  linear 
feet  along  the  course  of  any  mineral  vein 
or  lode  subject  to  location;  or  an  associa- 
tion of  persons,  severally  qualified  as 
above,  may  make  a  joint  location  of  such 
claim  of  1500  feet,  but  in  no  event  can  a 
location  of  a  vein  or  lode  exceed  1500  feet 
along  the  course  thereof  whatever  may  be 
the  number  of  persons  composing  the  as- 
sociation. 

With  regard  to  the  extent  of  surface 
ground  adjoining  a  vein  or  lode,  and 
claimed  for  the  convenient  working  there- 
of, the  Revised  Statutes  provide  that  the 
lateral  extent  of  locations  of  veins  or 
lodes  shall  in  no  case  exceed  300  feet  on 
each  side  of  the  middle  of  the  vein  at  the 
surface,  and  that  no  such  surface  rights 
shall  be  limited  by  any  mining  regula- 
tions to  less  than  twenty- five  feet  on  each 
side  of  the  middle  of  the  vein  at  the  sur- 
face. Said  lateral  measurements  cannot 
extend  beyond  300  feet  on  either  side  of 
the  middle  of  the  vein  at  the  surface,  or 
such  distance  as  is  allowed  by  local  laws. 
The  statutes  provide  that  no  lode  claim 
shall  be  recorded  until  after  the  discovery 
of  a  vein  or  lode  within  the  limits  of  the 
ground  claimed  ;  the  object  of  which  pro- 
vision is  evidently  to  prevent  the  encum- 


What  appears  to  be  a  most  promising  i  bering  of  the  district  mining  records  with 
ailver-mining  district   is  that  of  Goiovia    useless  locations  before  sufficient  work  has 


bay,  or    rather  of  Fish    river,    a   stream     &«en  done  thereon  to  determine   whether 
which  empties  into  the  bay  of  that  name.    a  vein  °r  lode  has  really   been  discovered 


This  silver  belt  is  located  in  the  mountain 
range  of  the  broad  peninsula  which  pro* 
jects  itself  to  the  westward  between 
Behring  sea  on  the  south  and  the  Arctio 
ocean  on  the  north  and  in  latitude  65 
deg.  It  Is  about  thirty  miles  distant 
from  the  navigable  waters  of 
bay,  which  is  a  branch  or 


or  not. 

The  claimant  should  therefore,  prior  to 
recording  his  claim,  unless   the  vein  can 
be  traced  upon  the  surface,  sink  a  shaft  or 
run  a  tunnel  or  drift  to  a  sufficient  depth 
therein  to  discover  and  develop  a  mineral- 
Qolovin"  bearing  vein,  lode  or  crevice;   should  de- 
arm    of   termine,  if  possible,  the   general  courao  of 


STAY 

[jru 


I 

sou 


AOD 


ooq 


in 


irep 
a?m 

AVI?  J 
)Uiil 

!11AV 
;no 


SIA\ 


3UI 


pun 


.  :h  vein  in  either  direction  from  the 
-j— ant  of  discovery,  by  which  direction  he  , 
will  be  governed  in  marking  the  bound- 
aries of  his  claim  on  the  surface,  and 
should  give  the  course  and  distance  as 
nearly  as  practicable  from  the  discovery, 
shaft  on  the  claim  to  some  permanent 
well-known  points  or  objects,  such,  for  in- 
stance, as  stone  monuments,  blazed  trees, 
the  confluence  of  streams,  points  of  inter- 
i  section  of  well-known  gulches,  ravines  or 
i  roads,  prominent  buttes,  hills,  etc.,  which 
may  be  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  and 
which  will  serve  to  perpetuate  and  fix  the 
locus  of  the  claim  and  render  it  susceptible 
of  identification  from  th*  description 
thereof  given  in  the  record  of  locations  in  ; 
the  district. 

In   addition  to  the   foregoing  data  the  ' 
claimant    should    state  the  names  of  ad- 
joining claims,  or,  if  none  adjoin,  the  rela- 
tive positions  of  the  nearest  claims;  should 
drive  a  post  or  erect  a  monument  of  stones 
at  each  corner  of  his  surf  ace- ground,  and  . 
at  the  point  of  discovery  or  discovery  shaft 
;  should  fix    a  post,    stake  or  board,  upon  } 
I  which   should  be  designated  the   name  of 
the  lode,  the  name  or  names  of   the  loca-  , 
tors,  the  number  of  feet  claimed,  and  in  ' 
which  direction  from  the  point  of  discpv-  ; 
ery;  it  being  essential  that  the  location 
notice  filed  for  record,    in  addition  to  the  ^ 
foregoing  description,  should  state  whether 
the  entire  claim  of  1500  leet  is  taken  on 
one    side    of   the    point  of  discovery,  or 
whether  it  is  partly  upon  one  and  partly 
upon  the   other  side  thereof,  and   in  the 
latter  case,   how  many  leet  are  claimed 
upon  each  side  of  such  discovery  point, 

"Within  a  reasonable  time,  say  twenty  , 
days  after  the  location   shall    have    been 
marked  on  the  ground,  or  such  time  as  is  : 
allowed  by  the  local   laws,  notice   thereof,  , 
accurately  describing  the  claim  in  manner  - 
aforesaid,  should  be   filed    for  record  with 
the  proper  recorder  of  the    district,  who 
will  thereupon  issue  the  usual  certificate 
of  location. 

In  order  to  hold  the  possessory  right  to 
a  location  not  less  than  one   hundred  dol-  '-' 
lars1  worth  of  labor  must  be  performed,  or  ,' 
improvements   made  thereon,  within  one  v 

annually  thereafter;  in    default  of  which, 
the  claim  will  be  subject  to  relocation  by  t 
any    other  party    haying   the    necessary 
qualifications,  unless   the  original  locator, 


The  importance  of  attending  to  tnese 
details  in  the  matter  of  location,  labor 
and  expenditure  will  be  the  more  readily 
perceived  when  it  is  understood  that  a 
failure  to  give  the  subject  oroper  atten- 
tion may  invalidate  the  claim. 

Under  the  law  governing  placer  claims 
lands  may  be  taken  up  winch  contain  all 
forms  of  mineral  deposits  except  veins  of 
quartz  or  other  rock  in  place.  These 
claims  must  not  exceed  twenty  acres  in 
area  for  e*ch  person,  and  the  method  of 
filing  notices  and  perfecting  title  is  the 
same  as  for  obtaining  patents  to  lodes. 


The  Advance  Guards  of  the 
Industry. 


and 
of  Mines. 


The  Part   They    Played   in    Pacific 
Coast  History— Notable  Collec- 
tion of  Names  and  Faces. 


failure  and  before  such  relocation. 

The  expenditures  required  upon  mining  tl 
claims  maybe  made  from  the  surf  tco  or 
in  running  a  tunnel   for  the  development    ' 
-of   such  claims,   the  act  of  February  11, 


purpose  of  developing  a  lode  or  lodes 
owned  by  said  person  or  company,  the 
money  so  expended  in  said  tunnel  shall 
be  taken  and  considered  as  expended  on 
said  lode  or  lodes,  and  such  person  or 
company  shall  not  be  required  to  perform 
work  on  the  surface  of  said  lode  or  lodea 
in  order  to  hold  the  same. 


It  is  but  just  in  this  connection  to  refer  ' 
to  some  of  those  men  whose  names  are 
indissolubly  linked  with  the  history  of 
mining  on  this  coast,  and  to  whose  energy, 
enterprise  and  unbounded  faith  in  the 
hidden  resources  of  the  ledges  and  gravel 
deposits  is  due  the  vast  additions  to  the 
wealth  of  the  world  that  have  been  made 
by  the  Western  States  and  Territories  of 
this  continent.  Many  of  the  most  promi- 
nent of  these  men  have  long  since  "gone 
over  the  range,"  but  their  ^  memory  !• 
still  strong  in  the  hearts  of  th'e  survivors, 

names  will  pass  into  history  and  will  en- 
dure so  long  as  the  story  of  the  wonderful 
discoveries  of  the  Western  slope  shall  be 
told,  which  will  be  for  all  time.  They 
were  a  race  of  giants  and  so  long  as  Cali- 
fornia shall  be  known,  so  will  they  be. 

JAMBS     W.     MARSHALL. 

He  Discovered  Gold,  but  Died    a    Poor 
Man. 

The  place  of  honor  in  a  series  of  sketches 

.of   this    character    certainly    belongs    to 

'James  W.  Marshall,  the  man  who   made 

the  discovery  that  literally  set   the  world 


ablaza  with  excitement. 

Marshall  was  born  in  Hope  township, 
Hunterdon  county,  N.  J.,  in  1812.  His 
father  was  a  coach  and  wagon  builder, 
and  he  was  brought  up  to  the  same  trade. 
His  early  life  presents  no  features  of  spe- 
cial interest,  and  he  had  arrived  at  man's 
estate — being  just  21 — when  he  began  to 
turn  his  eyes  westward.  Others  of  his 
neighbors  were  of  the  same  mind,  a  party 
Was  formed,  and  the  start  was  made  May 
1,  1844.  The  way  was  tedious,  but  not 
particularly  exciting,  and  after  wintering 


Of 


JOHN    A.     SUTTJEK. 

The  Man  to  Whom   Many   Callfornlans 

Owe  Everything. 

The  name  of  General  John  A.  Butter 
was  more  extensively  associated  with  Cal- 
ifornia than  that  of  any  of  the  pioneers  of 
the  new  State.  He  was  t&;>  son  of  a  Swiss 
of  the  Canton  Berne,  butwts  himself  born 
in  Baden,  Germany,  on  l'<jb.  28,  1803. 
Hia  early  life  was  passed  i.i  the  Grand 
Duchy,  and  there  he  received'  his  educa- 
tion. Like  many  of  his  countrymen,  he 
wished  to  enjoy  the  freedom  c'f  our  re- 
'public.  and  sailed  for  New  York,  w  iere  he 
landed  in  July,  1834.  Leaving  fart  'y  and 
home  in  company  with  Sir  William  ^)rum- 
mond  Stewart,  he  joined  a  party  tader 
the  charge  of  Captain  ,Tripps  of  the 
"American  Farm  Company"  and  started 


James  W.  Marshall 


in  Oregon,  Marshall  and  his  frienas  en- 
tered California,  yia  Shasta,  in  June,  1845, 
coming  down  the  Sacramento  valley. 
Here  the  party  separated,  Marshall  going 
to  Sutter'a  Fort.  For  several  months  he 
pursued  the  even  tenor  of  the  dull  life  at 
the  fort,  stocking  plows,  making  spinning 
wheels,  mending  wagons  and  doing  such 
general  carpenter  work  as  was  required. 

In  August,  1847,  Butter  started  a  mill 
at  Coloma,  on  the  American  river,  plac- 
ing Marshall  in  charge  of  it,  and  it  was 
through  the  action  of  the  water  which 
was  used  as  the  power  of  the  mill  that 
gold  was  first  discovered  in  California. 
Among  the  debris  which  accumulated 
first  beyond  the  mill  wheel  Marshall  saw 
on  that  memorable  day  of  January  24, 
1848,  what  he  supposed  to  be  pebbles  of 
an  unusual  color  and  of  great  weight.  He 
took  them  to  Butter,  who,  after  a  careful 
examination  and  test  of  them  with  nitric 
acid,  told  him  they  were  gold  nuggets. 
This  was  the  manner  in  which  gold  was 
discovered  in  California. 

The  news  spread  like  wildfire.  The 
residents  of  California  started  in  quest  of 
the  precious  metal  and  the  great  gold 
fever  began  which  revolutionized  the  Pa- 
cific coast.  But  what  was  other  men's 
fortune  was  the  discoverer's  ruin.  Mar- 
shall engaged  in  mining  with  varying 
fortunes  in  various  sections,  but  finally 


General  John  A.  Sutter. 


or  the  broad  valleys  of  California,  where 
he  knew  there  was  rich  soil  which  only 
awaited  the  cultivator  to  bear  unlimited 
fruits,  and  where  Providence  had  even  a 
Htill  richer  yielding  field  that  he  knew 
not  of.  He  left  his  party  in 
Kansas  and  with  five  companions  he 
started  for  his  destination  by"  way  of  Ore- 
gon. After  numerous  perilous  adventures 
he  finely  arrived  at  Monterey  in  1839. 
Having  overcome  the  Spanish  opposition 
to  foreign  settlers  he  obtained  permission 
from  Governor  Alvaradp  to  locate  himself 
in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  del  Sacramento. 
He  explored  the  Sacramento  and  Ameri- 
can rivers,  and  about  eighteen  months  , 
after  he  commenced  his  journey  perma- 
nently established  himself  on  the  latter 
river  with  a  colony  of  three  whites  and 
eight  Kanakas.  Shortly  after  he  removed 


to  what  is  now  known  as  Sutler's  Fort 
and  took  possession  of  the  neighboring 
country  under  a  Mexican  grant.  In  the 
winter  of  1847-48  he  bad  contracted  with 
James  W.  Marshall  to  erect  a  sawmill  on 
the  south  fork  of  the  American  river,  and 
on  January  24, 1848,  through  this  mill  that 
great  discovery  was  accidentally  made 
which  revolutionized  the  country!  With 
him,  as  with  its  discoverer,  the  finding  of 
gold  seemed  rather  to  deter  than  to  ad- 
vance his  interests,  and  he  died  about 
twelve  years  ago  in  comparative  ob- 
scurity. 

GEORGE     HEARST. 

One  of  the  Foremost  and  Most  Success- 
ful Miiiiug  Men. 

No  man  has  played  a  more  urominent 
or  important  part  in  the  mining  develop- 
ment of  the  Pacific  coast  than  the  late 
Senator  George  Heaast.  In  his  long  bus- 
iness career  on  the  Pacific  coast  he  made 
many  friends  and  few  enemies.  The  Cal- 
ifornia life  of  George  Hearst  was  full  of 
exhibitions  of  perseverence,  success,  re- 
verses and  finally  a  rich  harvest  which  he 


Senator  Hearst. 


home  in  March,  1850,  and  made  the  trip  \ 
across  the  plains  in  five  months,  arriving 
at  Placerville,  El  Dorado  county,  in  Octo- 
ber of  that  year.  He  immediately  started 
to  work  at  placer  mining,  with  the  varied 
success  attendant  upon  that  class  of  opera- 
tions. He  was  sent  by  a  company  in 
1859  on  a  prospecting  trip  to  the  Corn- 
stock  lode,  then  in  Utah  Territory.  At 
that  time  very  few  of  the  miners  knew 
the  real  value  of  silver  and  most  of 
them  mined  solely  for  gold.  Some,  how- 
ever, had  assays  made  for  silver,  and  one 
gave  the  information  to  Mr.  Hearst  that 
this  "  black  stuff"  contained  $2000  to  the 
ton  in  that  metal.  He  remained  prospect- 
ing for  about  six  weeks  and  made  up  his 
mind  that  the  discovery  was  of  immense 
importance  and  that  mines  of  vast  wealth 
would  be  developed. 

He  at  once  made  contracts  for  interests 
in  one  of  the  most  important  strikes, 
which  is  now  known  as  the  Ophir,  and 
returned  to  Nevada  City  to  obtain  the  re- 
quired purchase  money.  Having  suc- 
ceeded, he  again  journeyed  to  the  Com- 
»tock  and  proceeded  to  work  his  claims. 
In  1865  mining  enterprises  in  which  he 
was  engaged  proved  disastrous  and  ho 
found  himself  in  1866  in  reduced  circum- 
stances. However,  he  regained  his  fort- 
une bv  otherjjraining  enterprises,  ouiside 
of  California  as  well  as  in  this  State,  and 
by  judicious  investments  in  San  Francisco 
real  estate.  He  was  a  member  of  the  State 
^Legislature  of  California  in  1865-66,  was 
appointed  United  States  Senator  by  Gov- 
ernor Stonernan  in  18S6  to  succeed  Sen- 
ator Miller,  deceased,  and  elected  to  the 
office  in  1887. 

He  died  recently  after  a  lingering  illness 
in  Washingtonk  D.  C.  His  name  is  con- 
nected with  many  of  the  largest  and  most 
successful  mining  enterprises  in  the  West. 


WILLIAM     C.     RAI.8TON. 

He  Rose    From    a    Freight    Clerk    to    a 
Bank   President. 

William   C.   Ralston   was    born  in   the 
pretty  little  village  of  Wellsville,  O.,  Jan- 


reaped    from  legitimate  business    opera- 
tions. 

He  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Mis- 
souri,   on    September   3,  1820.     Born  and 
raised  in  what  was  then   the  chief  scene 
of  mining  operations  in  the  United  States 
it    was    quite    natural     that    the    young 
Missourian  should    early    enter   into  the 
business    of    mining    as     a     profession.  - 
He  soon,  achieved  quite  a  success  in  the 
mining  of  copper  and  lead  in  the  locality  ^ 
of  his  home.     Attracted   by  the  reports  + 
of  the  "golden   fleece"  upon  the  slopes  of  L 
the  western    mountain*  he,  in   company  r 
with  several  of  his    neighbors,    left  their   j 


William  C.  Ralston. 


t 

.*-+ 


uary  12,  1826.  He  was  the  son  of  the  prin- 
cipal builder  in  the  town,  and,  naturally, 
when  the  proper  age  was  reached,  the  boy 
was  put  to  learu  his  lather's,  business. 
Although  he  served  the  required  time  in 
the  trade,  he  had  mad*  his  mind  up  to 
earn  his  living  by  some  other  means,  and 
upon  graduating  from  his  apprenticeship 
he  secured  a  position  on  one  of  the  boats 
of  the  Mississippi  Steamship  Company  as 
freight  clerk. 

After  filling  this  position  for  a  while  he 
was  sent  to  Nicaragua  by  C.  K.  Garrisson, 
one  of  the  directors  of  the  Mississippi  line, 
to  look  after  interests  of  his  centered  in 
that  locality.  In  1849  he  was  sent  to  Cali- 
prnia  to  take  charge  of  an  agency  for  the 
\anderbilt  Steamship  Company,  which 
WiO  established  a  short  time  previous. 

i  bout  1857  Mr.  Ralston,  in  conjunction 
wiU  Garrisson,  started  a  savings  society, 
whn'h  ultimately  developed  into  the  Bank 
of  California,  with  \V.  C.  Ralston  as  presi- 
dent. He  was  also  interested  in  the  de- 
velopment of  many  mines  and  in  the 
building  of  silk  factories,  sugar  refineries 
and  woolen  mills,  railroad*,  and  steam- 
ship line*  to  Australia  and  China.  It  was 
in  1867  t^at  Lawrence  Barrett  first  met 
Ralston,  whom  he  succeeded  in  setting  to 
build  a  theater  for  himself  and  John  Mc- 
Cullough. 

The  California  Theater  was  accordingly 
built  and  opened  in  1869  and  for  a  while 
paid,  but  aft«r  a  few  seasons  Barrett  re- 
tired and  the  house  was  far  from  being  a 
profitable  investment.  About  this  time 
luck  seemed  to  be  against  Ralston.  He 
had  put  money  in  the  Palace  and  Grand 
Hotels,  both  0^  which  were  decided  failures. 
In  August,  1875,  James  C.  Flood  made 
a  sudden  der  land  on  the  bank  for  $6,000,- 
300,  and  although  they  had  assets  amount- 
ing to  a  muc.'1  greater  sum  than  the  one 
demanded,  t^eY  were  unable  to  meet  the 
unexpected  c'a^-  The  bank  was  imme- 
diately closed  and  Ralston's  resignation 
was  requeste^'  O11  the  morning  of  August 
27th  he  went  out  to  North  oeach  to  take 
ais  customary  swhn  and  was  never  after- 
ward seen  alive-  The  general  opinion  was 
that  he  felt  hJ?  disgrace  so  keenly  that  he 
committed  su}0^6-  He  was  one  of  the 
foremost  men  :*n  the  development  of  min- 
ng  enterprise?1  anc*  was  largely  interested 
n  the  Comstq0^  anc*  other  mines. 

K.     READING. 


The  Man  Who   First   Discovered  Gold  In 
Nor**®"1    California. 

To  Major  Person  B.  Reading  belongs 
he  credit  of  having  done  for  Northern 
hiornia  what  Sutter  and  Marshall  did 
for  the  central  portion  of  tne  State. 

Born  in  New  Jersey  in  1819,  he  came  to 
the  coast  in  1843,  reaching  Sutter' s  fort 
the  following  year,  when  he  entered  into 
the  service  of  the  General.  In  1846  he  ob- 
tained a  grant  of  the  upper  portion  of  the 
Sacramento  vallev.  which  is  included 


within  the    boundaries    of  what    is    now 
I  known  as   Shsista   county.     Here  he   *et- 
'  tied  and  explored  the  wild   country  lying 
between  that  section  and  the  ocean. 

In  1848  he  heard  of  the  finding  of  gold  at 
l  Coloma    and    hastened   thither.     After  a 
short  stay  he  became  convinced  that  gold 
WHS  to  he  found  in   the  region   which   he 
had  previously  explored  west  of  the  upper 
;  Sacramento  valley.     He  returned  at  once, 
;  organized  an  expedition,  and   soon  found 
gold  on  the   headwaters   of    the    Trinity, 
•.  hus  opening  a  region  which  has   contin- 
ued  to   produce   a    large   amount  of  the 
precious  metal  without  interruption  down 
to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Reading  was  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent men  in  tne  State,  and  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death  none  stood  higher  in 
the  public  estimation. 

DAVID    D.     COTTON. 

A    Successful    Manager   of  Many   Large 
Mining  Operations. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch 
was  born  at  Monson,  Me.,  July  17,  1832, 
ond  died  at  San  Francisco  October  9,  1878. 
As  soon  as  he  had  attained  sufficient  age 
and  preparation  he  entered  Knox  College, 
Galesburg.  The  innate  individuality  of 
his  character  asserted  itself  in  his  early 
youth,  for  we  find  him  a  successful  teacher 
and  fairly  out  in  the  world  for  himself  at 
16.  At  18  he  had  started  in  company 
with  a  friend  for  California,  where  he 
landed  in  1850.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he 
commenced  mining:  on  the  Feather  river. 
He  was  stricken  with  typhoid  fever  and 
soon  came  down  to  San  Francisco,  and 
thence,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year,  went 
to  Oregon. 

In  1851  gold  was  reported  to  have  been 
found  in  Shasta  butte,  now  Siskiyou 
county,  and  he,  with  hundreds  of  others, 
hastened  there  to  prospect  and  locate 
mine*.  About  this  time  one  Charles  Mc- 
Derrnott  became  Sheriff  of  the  county 
and  appointed  young  Colton  as  his 
deputy.  McDermott  soon  found  more  ' 
lucrative  enterprises  and  turned  over  his 
office  to  the  youne^under  sheriff.  By  this 
office  friends  became  numerous  and 
money  poured  into  Colton's  hands  by 
thousands.  In  1858  he  returned  to  New 
York  with  his  family  and  entered  the 
law  school  there,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  due  time.  He  then  returned  to 
California  with  a  fine  law  library,  accom- 
panied by  Ralph  C.  Harrison  as  his  part- 
ner. Without  being  a  politician  be  took  a 
patriotic  interest  in  public  affairs.  In 
1865  he  went  abroad  with  his  family, 
spending  two  years  in  traveling  over 
Europe,  the  Holy  Land,  Turkey  and 
Egypt.  Mr.  Colton  was  a  large  owner  in  ^ 
and  president  of  the  Amador  gold  mine 
and  also  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Coal 


David  D.  Colton. 


Company.  The  Amador  mine  produced 
it's  half  a  million  dollars  in  gold  bars  an- 
nually and  under  his  management  kept 
up  fully  its  reputation  as  one  of  the  best 
managed  mines  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

He  was  also  interested  in  many  other 
mining  ventures  and  was  always  a  be- 
liever in  the  mines  of  this  coast  as  a  per- 
manent source  of  wealth. 


ANDREW    J.     BRYANT. 


High 


A  Practical  Miner  Who  Rose  to  a 
Station  in  Life. 

This  gentleman  led  a  long,  successful 
and  honorable  life  among  the  business 
men  of  California.  He  was  born  in  Car- 
roll county,  N.  HM  in  1831,  and  worked  on 
his  father's  farm  until  1849,  when  he 
started  for  California,  where  he  arrived  in 
1850.  Upon  arriving  he  went  directly  to 
the  northern  mines,  where  he  remained 
about  a  year,  when  he  was  taken  sick, 
which  compelled  his  removal  to  San 
Francisco  in  order  to  obtain  medical  treat- 
ment. With  health  improved  he  engaged 
in  the  express  business,  which  he  followed 
for  about  two  years,  after  which  he  re- 
moved to  Sacramento  and  engaged  in 
merchandising  for  a  period  of  eight  years. 
In  1866  be  was  appointed  Naval  Officer  by 
Andrew  Johnson"  and  held  the  position 
until  1870.  Mr.  Bryant  was  a  strong  ad- 
vocate of  all  measures  for  improving  th« 
condition  of  men  who  labor  lor  a  living. 
He  was  in  favor  of  the  eight-hour 
law,  believing  that  eight  hours  was  aa  long 
as  any  man  should  labor  at  hard  work. 
The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  Shop 
and  Senate  of  August  23,  1875,  after  he  had 
received  the  nomination  for  Mayor  of  this 
city:  "He  will  be  elected  and  he  will 
make  the  best  Mayor  San  Francisco  has 
had  since  the  time  of-  E.  W.  Burr.  He 
will  not  allow  the  city  to  be  swindled 
either  by  gas  or  water  companies.  He 
-  will  not  encourage  idle  policemen  or  sine- 
cure employes.  He  will  break  up  that 


devilish  den  of  Chinese  that  now  corrupt 
and  poison  the  very  heart  of  San  Fran- 
cisco." 

The  majority  of  these  things  Mr.  Bryant 
did  accomplish  with  the  exception  of  the 
abatement  Of  the  Chinese  nuisance,  and 
the  power  to  do  that  lies  not  within  the 
province  of  any  one  man,  no  matter  what 
his  position  may  be.  San  Francisco  had 
an  honest,  devoted  and  popular  magis- 
trate in  the  person  of  Mr.  Bryant.  He 
presided  over  the  deliberations  of  the 


Andrew  J.  Bryttnt. 


Common  Council  with  dignity  and  impar- 
tiality, and  had  tne  moral  courage  to  in- 
terpose his  veto  when  he  considered  that 
that  body  was  going  beyond  its  legitimate 
powers.  As  a  man  he  was  generous  of 
heart  and  courteous  of  bearing;  as  a  citi- 
zen he  was  spirited  and  took  a^deep  in- 
terest in  any  movement  tending  to  better 
or  elevate  the  community,  while  from  the 
time  of  his  own  personal  experience  in 
the  mines  he  took  an  active  interest  in 
the  development  of  the  mineral  resources 
of  his  adopted  State. 

W.     8.     O'BRIJCN. 

One    of    California's     Moat     Successful 

Pioneer    Miners. 
William  6.  O'Brien  first  saw  the  light 

of  day  in  the  picturesque  village  of  8  trad - 

bally,    county    Dublin,    Ireland,  in   1826. 

When  but  a  boy  he  bid  farewell  to  his 
native  land  and  emigrated  to  New  \ork, 
where  in  1847  he  became  an  American  citi- 
zen. After  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia he  made  a  voyage  around  Cape 
Horn  in  the  ship  Tarolinta  and  arrived  in 
San  Francisco  July  6, 1849.  After  working 
in  the  mines  until  1851  he  went  into  busi- 
ness with  Colonel  William  C.  Holf,  with 
whom  he  remained  for  about  two  years, 
subsequently  entering:  into  the  ship  chand- 
lery business  with  J.  W.  Homer.  In  1856 


I  Mr.    O'Brien,    in    conjunction     with    his 
former  mining  partner,    J.    C.    Flood,  op- 
-tJ  ened  a  saloon  on  Washington  street,  near 
I  Sansome,  which  in  after  years    became   a 
!  favorite  resort  for  mining  men   and  stock 
dealers,  and  thus,  in  a  quiet  way,  ho  doubt, 
the    two    partners    obtained  information 
from  their  patrons  which  was  of  great  ad- 
vantage to  them.    In    the    early    days  of 
San  Francisco  Mr.  O'Brien  was  connected 
with  the  Volunteer  Fire  Department,  and 
at  one  time  was  foreman  of  California  En- 
gine, No.  4. 

His  genial  disposition  and  that  upright- 
ness which  characterized  all  his  dealings 
in  business  affairs  won  him  the  respect 
and  admiration  ot  his  comrades,  and,  in- 
deed, all  those  who  know  him.  For  many 


which,   while  they  are  open  to    all,  yet 
reward  only  those  who  have  faith,  courage  j 
and   perseverance.    There    is    no    better  ' 
illustration  of  this  than  in   the  case   of  \ 
James  C.  Flood,  who  came  to  San  Fran-  j 
Cisco  in  the  ship  Elizabeth  Ellen  in  1849. 
He  was   oorn  in  New  York  city  on.  the 

I  25th  of  October,  1826.  He  received  a  cora- 
mon  school  education  fitting  him  for  any 

i  ordinary  business  or  commercial  pursuit. 

i;  Attracted  by  the  golden  reports  from 
the  Pacific  coast  he  left  his  home  and 
friends  and  came  to  California.  He  had 

j  little  money,  but  made  up  for  this  short- 
ness in  a  plentiful  supply  of  health, 
strength  and  a  determination  to  succeed. 
He  commenced  mining  on  the  Yuba 
river  with  a  "  rocker"  with  but  moderate 
success.  By  practicing  strict  economy  he 
managed  to  save  $3000,  with  which  he 
returned  to  New  York  with  the  intention 
of  opening  a  business  there,  but  rinding 
his  capital  was  too  small  to  suit  his  pur- 
purpose,  he  returned  to  California, 
where  money  was  more  plentiful 
and  business  energy  better  rewarded. 
In  1854  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
William  O'Brien  and  their  business  re- 
lations brought  them  in  'contact  with 
prominent  mining  men  and  stockbrokers, 
from  whom  they  received  important  in- 


William  S.  VBrien. 


years  the  firm  of  Flood  &  Brien  invested  in 
stocks  in  a  modest  way  and  succeeded  so 
well  that  in  1867  they  invested  1  irgely  and 
made  considerable  money.  They  soon 
after  sold  their  business  in  the  city  and 
engaged  exclusively  in  mining  operations. 
In  1868  Flood  &  O'Brien  entered  into 
partnership  with  John  W.  Mackay  and 
James  GK  Fair.  Prosperity  attended"  them 
from  the  outset.  Their  Cbmstock  claims 
were  obtained  at  a  cost  of  about  $65.000, 
and  it  soon  became  evident  that  a  mag- 
nificent property  had  been  secured.  Dur- 
ing the  great  excitement  in  Bonanza 
stocks  in  1875  the  memj^rs  of  the  firm 
made  their  colossal  fortunes  and  came  to 
the  front  the  most  successful  operators  in 
the  world,  obtaining  complete  control  of 
the  Bonanza  mines,  which  they  retained 
until  tneir  death. 

JAMJCS     C.     FLOOD. 


The  Celebrated  Nevada  Bank  Owes  Its 

Existence  to  Him. 

America  is  the  land  ot  opportunity,  and 
the  Pacific  coast  pre-eminently  the  region 
of  luckv  venture  and  pecuniary  rewards 
for  those  who  use  the  chances  for  fortune 


James  C.  Flood. 


formation  relative  to  mining  interests 
and  mines.  Profiting  by  this,  they  made 
successful  investments  in  the  Com  stock 
ledge,  and  in  1862  secured  large  interests 
in  the  Kentuck,  Crown  Point  and  Belcher 
mines,  from  which  they  received  enor- 
mous profits. 

Soon  after  this  a  copartnership  was 
formed  with  John  W.  Mackay  and  J.  G. 
Fair,  and  this  was  the  foundation  of  the 
business  associations  which  afterward  be- 
came so  famous  for  financial  success  and 
great  wealth.  The  same  determination 


to  make  every  project  successful  with 
which  Mr.  Flood  started  his  business 
careers  as  always  his  leading  character- 
istic as  a  financier,  and  the  great  Nevada 
Bark  owes  its  origin  and  success  to  Mr. 
Flood's  fidelity  to  sound  business  princi- 
ples and  correct  financial  laws.  While  in 
business  matters  Mr.  Flood  was  very  posi- 
tive in  his  dealings  with  the  world,  in 
Erivate  life  he  was  a  kind  and  generous 
•iend  and  liberal  to  all  charitable  objects, 
giving  without  ostentation  large  sums  an- 
nually to  various  benevolent  institutions. 

JOHN    M.     BUITFINGTON. 

The  Originator   of  the   Present   System 
of  Mining  Accounts. 

The  formation  of  stock  companies  some 
years  ago  for  the  more  thorough  develop- 
ment ol  mining  ventures  became  a  neces- 
sity. A  man  thoroughly  suited  to  the 
occasion  was  found  in  John  M.  Buffing- 
ton,  whose  thorough  proficiency  as  an 
accountant,  enabled  him  to  plan  and  de- 
velop the  most  perfect  system  which  now 
prevails  in  the  various  mining  companies. 
He  was  born  in  Somerset,  Bristol  county, 
Mass.,  on  February  15,  1818.  His  early 
education  was  received  in  the  common 
schools,  and  at  the  aere  of  14  he  entered 
the  State  Normal  School  of  Rhode  Island, 
where,  after  receiving  a  thorough  course 
of  English  and  mathematics,  he  gradu- 
ated at  the  age  of  17.  He  arrived  in  ban 
Francisco  June  13,  1849.  For  thirteen 
months  he  worked  in  the  mines  and  was 
very  successful,  making  os  high  as 
thirty  ounces  a  day  of  the  precious 
metal.  With  his  earnings  he  started  a 
large  mercantile  house  in  Stockton,  which 
he  was  subsequently  induced  to  give  up 
in  order  to  accept  the  position  of  secretary 
of  several  large  mining  companies.  Un- 
der his  careful  thought  and  prudent  ex- 
periment, the  crude  and  imperfect  style 
of  accounts  in  mining  secretaryship  has 
grown  into  a  system  of  completeness  and 
perfection.  He  saw  new  and  unknown 

mines  start  into  prominence  and  once 
prosperous  clnims  dwindle  into  obscurity. 
But  in  all  these  scenes  of  struggle  and 
care,  in  nil  these  conflicts  of  financial 
ruin,  he  stood  beyond  reproach  and  en- 
joyed to  the  utmost  the  confidence  of  all 
who  knew  him.  

JOHN     CONL.Y. 

One  of  Plumas    County's    Leading  Min- 
ing Men. 

Self-made   men    have  the    same   right 
to  be    proud   of   that    distinction      that 
they    have  to    be    proud    of  their    good 
name,   their    business    integrity  or    their 
personal  honor.     Such    members    of  the 
community   are    usually    men    of  latent 
ability  and  sagacity  who,  without  the  ad- 
vantages  of  the  favored    few,   carve  out 
out  their  own   future.      Such  a  man  was 
J  John  Conly.    Energetic,  striving  and  in- 
I  dustrious  he   commenced   life   at  the  foot 
I  of    the    hill,    and    through    honesty  and 
perseverance  climbed  upward    until    he 
reached  the  top. 
He  was  of  Irish  descent  and   firs.t   saw 


the  light  ot  day  in  the  city  of  New  York 
on  March  7,  1826.  While  ho  was  yet  young 
his  father  died,  leaving  him  the  solo  com- 
fort and  support  of  his  widowed  mother. 
At  the  age  of  16  he  left  New  York  for 
California,  where  he  arrived  in  August, 
1849.  After  his  arrival  he  spent  two  years 
at  Mokelumne  Hill,  mining  with  average 
success.  He  then  went  to  Hansonville, 
Yuba  county,  remaining  there  about  the 
same  length  of  time.  In  1853  he  settled 
in  Plumas  county,  where  he  became  ex- 
tensively interested  from  that  time  on. 
He  did  more  to  develop  the  mines  of  that 
region  than  any  other  one  man. 

SHABON. 


A  Self-Made  Man  Who  Achieved  Wealth 
and  Prominence. 

William  Sharon,  whose  name  will  be 
remembered  so  lone  as  the  history  of  the 
gold  and  silver  mines  of  this  coast  lasts, 
was  born  in  Smithfield,  O.,  January  9, 
1821.  As  a  boy,  he  was  a  leader  among  j 
his  mates,  but  his  individuality  was  too 
pronounced  to  make  him  popular. 
Although  fond  of  play,  he  was  also  fond 
of  his  book,  and  found  time  to  develop 
himself  mentally  as  well  as  physically. 
He  went  to  college,  where  he  paid  his 
way  by  doing  odd  jobs  around  the  insti- 
tution. He  applied  himself  closely  to  his 
studies,  was  a  ready  debater  and  fully 
able  to  cope  with  his  fellow  students.  But 
circumstances  prevented  him  from  com- 
pleting his  college  course.  After  leaving 
college  he  returned  to  farming,  which  he 
soon  gave  up  for  the  study  of  law,  entering 
the  office  of  Edwin  M.  Btanton,  after- 
ward Secretary  of  War  under  President 
Lincoln.  He  left  his  home  and  started 
for  the  Golden  West  April  1st,  1849,  and 
arrived  in  California  during  the  latter 
part  of  July  of  that  year. 

When  silver  was  discovered  in  Nevada 


William  Sharon. 


he  wag  one  of  the  first  to  aid  in  its  develop- 
ment. At  first  the  mines  were  a  failure, 
but  afterward  Sharon  and  all  connected 
with  them  amassed  great  wealth.  When 
the  Bank  of  California  was  established  he 
became  one  of  the  trustees,  and  during 
the  troubles  of  that  institution,  which 
arose  through  the  death  of  its  president, 
Mr.  Ralston,  Mr.  Sharon  succeeded  in 
bringing  the  affairs  of  that  institution  to 
a  satisfHctory  conclusion.  He  was  elected 
to  the  United  States  Senate  from  Nevada 
in  1875  and  held  his-seat  until  1881.  His 
Senate  record  was  not  particularly  strik- 
ing, as  he  made  few  speeches,  gaining  his 
points  more  by  his  actions  than  his  ora- 
torical powers.  He  had  large  property 
interests  in  San  Francisco  and  owned  the 
Palace  Hotel,  whera  he  died  November  13, 
1885. 


I 


SAMUEL     BRANNAN. 

A  Man  Who  Made  Money    and    Died    in 
Need  of  It. 

Few  names  among  the  early  pioneers  of 
California  have  been  more  intimately  as-  j 
sociated    with    the    history  and  develop-  i 
ment  of  the  State  than  that  of  Sam  Bran-  n 
nan.    A   review   of  the    principal  enter- 
prises which  mark  the   improvement  and  " 
onward  march  of  California   would  reveal! 
him  at  their  zealous  advocats  and  promo- 
ter.   Mr.  Brannan  was  born   in  the  town 
of  Saco,  in  the  State  of  Maine,  in  1819.  He  ' 
immigrated  to  Lake  county  in  1833,  where  ',- 
he  learned   the  printing  business,  and  in 
1837  traveled  through  the  State  as  a  jour- 
neyman printer. 

Five  years  later  he  published  in  New 
York  city  a  weekly  newspaper  called  the 
New  York  Messenger.  As  early  as  1846  he 


Samuel  Xrannan. 


famous 

1853  he 


igilnnce    Committee,     and     in 
M    elected    State   Senator      He 
in  Sin*         ^  f°Unders  Of  the  fi^t    school 
>«a  Francisco,  ftnd  contributed  liberally 
to  the  building    of   that    edifice.     In    the 


. 

mining  ;  districts  of  Eastern  Nevada 
S*rSS****  businesa  talents  were    also 


i  ing   works,    he    built  toll-Wads"  and    u«- 
ffSjAgS  ofthe  richest  mineral  districts 

k  of  that  State.     Of  late   years    he    did    not 
ut  a  very  prominent  figure  in  public  life, 
and  for  a  lew  years  previous  to  his  death 

.....   .... was     seldom     heard     from,     Having 

formed  a  company  to  settle  on   the   then        aoved  to  Mexico,  where  he    went   to  look 
almst  unknown  shores  of   California,  and  J  at*??  nis  large  landed  interests. 
the  ship  Brooklyn,  in  which,  with  230  im-   j      *f ia  latter  life  was  not  as  fruitful  as  his 
migrants,    he     sailed    from    New    York,    j     Irl7  years  predicted.     Wild  speculations 
arrived  at  San  Francisco  in  July  of    the   '  caU8»«  financial  reverses,  ana  he  was  left 
same  year.     He   at  once  became  a  leading 
and   influential    member  of    the  isolated 
little    community,  and   soon   after  his  ar- 
rival   he    erected    the  machinery  of   two 
flour  mills  in  a  locality  answering  to  that 
which  is  now  known  as  Clay  street.  These 
were  the  first    introduced  into  the  coun- 
try.    In    January,    1847,    he    published  a 
weekly  newspaper  called   the"    California        *"  I  cnia  gentleman  furnishes 

Star,    which    was    the    first  journal  pub-    7  lustration    of    the    vicissitudes 

lished  in  San  Francisco,  and  was  the  r  ough  which  California  has  led  many  of 
parent  of  the  now  defunct  Alto,  California.  ner  «dopted  sons  to  the  Drominpm/v»  in* 
F  In  1851  he  was  chosen  President  of  the  comfort  of  their  SUS^I?0*  l°d 

f  lift. 


EIENflY    M.     NJ£WHAI,L. 

Another  Pioneer  ~^er  Who  Achieved 

Success. 


their      position      n after 
gained  wealth  and  distinction^ 


but  only  through  tue  e: 
j  and    force    of   character 


ae  of  an  energy 
which  never  de- 
serted him.  Henry  M.  Newhall,  the  fourth 
child  of  a  family  of  eieht,  was  born  May 
23,  1825,  in  Saugus,  Mass.  He  attended 
school  until  he  was  13  years  of  age,  when 
ho  left  home  to  seek  his  fortune.  In  the 
winter  of  1849  he  started  for  California, 
and  after  a  tedious  delay  of  several 
months  on  the  lathmus  of  Panama  he 
reached  this  city  July  6,  1850.  At  first  he 
went  to  mining,  but  finding  that  was  not 
his  forte  he  left  the  mines  and  returned  to 
San  Francisco,  where  he  entered  the  auc- 


position  to  accumulate  early  tn  life;  as  a 
boy  he  was  always  saving,  and  generally 
succeeded  in  scraping  small  amounts  to- 
gether. However^  these  scanty  sums 

{  were  not  sufficient  to  keep  him  on  the 
farm,  and  at  the  age  of  18  he  bade  farewell 
to  his  home  and  parents  forever.  He  soon 
arrived  at  Cincinnati,  (X,  where  he  sold 

1  his  horse  and  secured  a  position  as  cabin 
boy  on  a  river  steamer.  After  working 
for  seven  years  in  that  position  he  went 
into  the  business  of  rafting  on  his  own  ac- 

c  count.  About  1841  he  visited  Texas  and 
spent  a  year  in  exploring  that  country. 
In  September,  1849,  he  arrived  at  Sacra- 

-  mento.  Until  1854  he  was  engaged  in 
trading,  freighting,  mining,  etc.  The 
South  Yuba  canal  was  commenced  by  him 
and  others  in  the  fall  of  1851  and  com- 
pleted in  the  latter  part  of  1857.  The  great 
success  of  this  undertaking  placed  Cap- 
tain Kidd  and  the  other  inaugurate™ 
prominently  before  the  public.  From 
that  time  he  made  money  fast.  Captain 
Kidd  was  a  representative  of  that  class  of 
California  pioneers  whose  courage  and 
energy  made  the  State  what  it  is  to-day. 

JOHN     A.     PAXTON. 

Many    Enterprises    Owe   Their    Success- 
ful   Outcome    to    Him. 
Like  many  an  early   pioneer,    John  A. 
Paxton  owes  his    financial  success  to  that 
adjustment  of  affairs   which  awards  pru- 
dence, energy  and  sagacity.    He  was  born 
in  Rockbridge  county,    State  of  Virginia, 


Henry  M.  Newhall 


tioneering  business,  which  proved  a  suc- 
cessful venture.  He  made  money  rapidly, 
and  in  1865  he  became  a  large  owner  In 
the  San  Francisco  and  San  Jose  Railroad, 
which  at  that  time  was  in  a  sorry  condi- 
tion. In  1866  he  was  elected  rnanaerer,  and 
from  the  time  he  took  charge  of  affairs  the 
success  of  the  road  was  assured. 

He  never  lost  his  interest  in  mining, 
however,  and  was  interested  in  the  devel- 
opment  of  the  petroleum  deposits  of  the 
southern  part  of  the  State,  as  well  as  in 
other  enterprises  which_have  done  much  \ 
to  add  lo  the  wealth  of  California. 

GKOKGK     W.     KIDD. 

'  One    of  the    Originators    of    the     Tuba 

Canal    Scheme. 

Captain*  George  W.  Kidd  was  born  in 
Wayne  county,  Ky.,  February  28,  1813. 
He  was  the  third  in  a  family  of  seven 
children.  His  parents  were  exceedingly 
poor,  and  relying  on  a  sterile  tract  of  land 

4  for  support,  the  captain's  childhood  and 
youth  was  an  epoch  of  unremitting  and 
severe  toil.  Captain  Kidd  showed  a  dis- 


June  3,   1819.    At    an  early   age   he  was 
compelled  to  rely  mainly  upon  himself  for 
I  his  support  and  advancement    After  hav- 
ing received  what  is  known  as  a  Common 
I  scbool  education   he  left  his  home  and 
|  started  out  to  earn  his  own  living.     At 
|  the    age  of  20    he  emigrated    to    Texas, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business.    In  1849  he  started  for  and  safely 
i  landed    in     California.     Having    decided 


upon  his  arrival  in  the  Golden  State  to 
make  it  th«  field  of  his  future  business 
operations  he  commenced  his  career  with 
that  untiring  energy  -which  has  since  been 
his  chief  characteristic.  In  1853,  with 
Mark  Birmingham,  he  engaged  in  the 
banking  business  in  Maryssnlle.  The  firm 
continued  in  operation  until  1863,  when 
Mr.  Paxton  withdrew,  and  having  formed 
a  partnership  with  W.  B.  Thoni burgh 
established  a  banking  house  in  Virginia 
City,  Nev.  He  continued  his  financial 
connection  with  the  establishment  until 
1866,  when  he  retired  from  the  firm  and 
returned  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  engage  extensively  in  mining 
operations,  as  he  had  during  all  his  life 
on  the  coast. 

JL.     M.     PEAKI.B1AN. 

On*  of  the   Pioneers  of   Virginia*  NOT., 
and  His  .Enviable  Record. 

Among  the  pioneer  mining  men  and 
merchants  of  Virginia,  Nov.,  none  was 
more  prominent  than  L.  M.  Pearl  man. 
He  may  be  said  to  have  assisted  at  the 
birth  of  the  great  Comstock  lode,  for  he 
first  settled  at  Virginia  City  in  July, 
1859,  coming  from  California.  He  it  was 
who  built  the  first  brick  house  in  Virginia 
City.  As  a  merchant  dealing  in  sreneral 
mining  supplies  Mr.  Pearlmau  made  a 
record  for  honesty  which  never  was 
questioned.  His  word  was  as  good  as  his 
bond,  and  the  only  fault  he  ever  found 
with  himself  was  that  he  was  too  gen- 
erous and  confiding,  and  the  result  was 
the  accumulation  of  a  big  lot  of  assets  in 
the  shape  of  book  accounts  and  loans 
that  remain  uncollected  to  this  day.  In 
those  days  every  merchant  necessarily 
dealt  in  mining  stocks  "by  the  foot,"  as 
was  the  custom,  and  many  deeds  to  and 
from  Pearlman  for  "feet"  in  Sierra 
I  Nevada,  Ophir,  Chollar,  Yellow  Jacket 
and  other  Gomstoek  locations  are  to 
be  found  among  the  records  of  Storey 
county.  Like  many  others  Mr.  Pearlman 
experienced  the  vicissitudes  of  fickle  for- 
!  tune,  and  he  concluded  in  1863  that  Vir- 
ginia was  a  good  camp  to  leave,  and  clos- 
ing up  his  extensive  business  he  tramped 
off  to  Silver  City,  Idaho,  whose  mineral 
wealth  was  then  attracting  general  atten- 
tion. There  he  met  many  of  the  early 
Comstockers,  and  his  store  was  general 
headquarters  hail  fellow  well  met  for  all 
Pacific  coasters.  He  remained  in  Idaho, 
off  and  on,  until  1869,  when  once  more  he 
caught  the  removal  fever,  and  attracted 
by  the  glowing  accounts  of  the  fabulous 
wealth  of  the  Original  Hidden  Treasure 
and  Eberhardt  at  White  Pine,  he  pulled 
up  his  Idaho  stakes  and  transferred  him- 
self and  all  his  belongings  to  the  tender 
mercies  of  the  Treasure  Hill  pogonip. 
"  That  was  the  worst  move  1  ever  m  tde, 
said  Mr.  Pearlman  to  a  friend  while  re- 
calling reminiscences,  (*  for  inside  of  three 
years  I  had  lost  all  my  money  and  had  to 
\atart  over  again."  Mr.  Pearlman  isn't| 
Vhe  only  Pacific  coaster  who_  can  charge  up 


total  loss  to  White  Pine,     tfut  ne  started 
again   with  true    Nevada  and   California 
rit,  and  concluded  to  wo6  fortune  where 
before  be  had  been  successful,  and  in  1874 
ha  found  himself  once  more  in   Virginia, 
;ity,  where,  in  his  absence,  the  Comstock 
had  been  redeveloped   and   became  richer 
than  in  its  infancy.  He  was  finally  success- 
ful,   devoting  his   attention  specially  to 
mining.    In    1879    the    spirit   of    unrest 
again  possessed  him,  and  he  went  over  to 
Bodie,    and    was    soon    possessed    of  as 
many  locations  and  prospects  as  any  man 
in  the  camp.     During  the  next  ten  years 
Mr.  Pearlman  gravitated  from  one  min- 
1  ing  district  to  the  other,  ever  on  the  look- 
„  out  for  a  big  mine— something  in   the  ne 
plus    ultra    line,  which  all  mining  men 
look    for   and  so   few    ever    find.      The 
t  Tombstone    excitement   found     him    in 
Arizona,  and  from  there  he  naturally  and 
easily  drifted  into  Old   Mexico,  and   back 
over  the  line  into  New  Mexico.    Finally, 
,  in  1890,  he  found  himself  back  in  his  old 
stamping-ground        in       Idaho,      whose 
j  mineral     wealth     had    also     been    ma- 
terially      developed      in      his     absence. 
The       big       developments       made      in 
the     now    famous    Delamar  'mine     (re- 
cently  sold   in   London  for  $2,000.000),  at- 
tracted his  attention,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  he  had  secured  a  bond  on  some  ad- 
jacent properties  that  Mr.   Pearlman   be- 
lieves will  develop  into  second  and  third 
Deiamars,  the  foundation  and  character- 
istics    being     substantially     the     same. 
These  mines  are  in  the  old   Owyhee  min- 
ing district,   near  Trampa,   a  station  on 
the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad,    and  are 
known  as    the    Howe,    Manhattan    and 
Lepley  groups,    consisting   of   125    acres 
each,  all  the  claims  being  either  patented 
or  in  process  of  patent.     The  work  in  the 
Howe  and   Manhattan    has    been    prose- 
cuted by  a  tunnel,  now  in  over  1000  feet, 
and   by  a  series  of  crosscuts,   drifts  and 
winzes.    The  ledge,  which  is  now  seventy- 
seven  feet  in  width,  is  of  the  same  general 
character    as    the    Delamar.     As    depth 
is    attained    the    value    of    the    ore   in- 
creases   in    gold.      For   several    hundred 
feet  down  from  the  surface  the  percent- 
age   of   value   is   30    per   cent  gold  and 
TO    silver.      The     Lepley    is    also    being 
developed    by    means    of   a    tunnel  and 
presents  the  same  general  characteristics 
as  the  Ho  we- Manhattan.    The  assays    of 


T 


ore  vary  •with  the  progress  of  development. 
They  have  run  as  high  as  $440  and  as  low 
as  $4  per  ton,  bnt  Mr.  Pearlman   is  satis-  ; 
tied  that  the  general  average  will  be  suffi- 
ciently large  to   insure  the  payment  of 
healthy  dividends.      Active  development 
is  being  prosecuted  in  both  properties  and 
will  be  continued  until  it  reaches  a  point 
that  shall  insure  the  tuture  beyond  ques- 
tion or  peradventure.     Some  months  aince 
Mr.  Pearlman  visited  London    and  gave 
English  capitalists  an  option  on  the  prop- 
erties, since  which  the  developments  have 
demonstrated  so  much    additional  value 
that  he  is  entirely  indifferent  whether  the 
option  shall    be    accepted    or  not.      The 
Delamar  is  a  steady  dividend  payer,  and 
its  shares  command  a  large  premium  in 
the  London  market.      Other  mines  in  the 
Owyhee  diitrict  are  large  producers,    and 
Itogether  it  looks  as  if  Mr.    Pearlman    is 
o  be  coneratulated  on   the  possession   of 
^aluable  properties  that  will  enable  him 
o  rest  from  his  long  labors.      He  is  now 
,t  the  Idaho  Iront  with  engineers  spe- 
ially  sent  out  from  London   to   make  a 


Isaac  Trumbo. 


mining  as  a  business  he  had  made  a  hand- 


borough  examination  of  both  properties,  f  8Ome  addition  to  his  fortune, 
and  telegrams  received  from  Mr.   Pearl-  [     Determining  to  settle  in  San  Francisco 
nan  within  a  few  days  are  moat  satiafac-  I  as  a  permanent  place  of  abode  he  immedi- 
ory>  ||  ately  interested,  himself  in    the  financial 


COLONEL     ISAAC 


An 


TBTTMBO. 

Mining 


arid'commercial  interests  of  the  city,  and 
bis  influence  soon  began  to  be  felt.  His 
quick  intuition  and  keen  foresight  have 
proved  invaluable  to  his  associates  in 
business,  many  dangerous  rocks  being 


Energetic    and    Successful 
Operator. 

f  ft  T7*  fc         UUO111CDO.        11JOLIV         VI.C*AJC,^J.  \J  u,o        *.  v*v  **.•.-         w***^ 

If  all  the  business  men  of  San  Francisco    thereby  Jeered  away  from  which  would 
and  of  California  patterned  their  methods    nave  wrecked  the  enterprise, 
alter  the  subject    of   this    sketch,  Colonel       Probably  one  of  his  greatest  feats  was 

•  *  -"  —  the  overthrow  of  the  Dresbach-Rosenfeld 
wheat  combination.  Colonel  Trumbo 
took  the  most  prominent  part  in  blocking 


[saac  Trumbo,  the  result  could  not  fail  to 
be  greatly  beneficial  to  the  interests  of  the 
coast.  A,stereotyped  biography  of  him  is 
unnecessary,  as  his  name  and  his  record 
are  too  well  known.  During  the  years  he 


this  gigantic  scheme,  the  history  of  the 
deal  being  one  of  the  most  important  and 
interesting  in  the  aunals  of  finance  in  San 


has  engaged  in  business  in  California  and  FrancUc®.  He  is  interested  in  the  Yari- 
Utah  he  has  invariably  occupied  a  moat  ous  electric  llghfc  companies  and  in*  the 
prominent  position  in  the  financial world  Amerlcan  Cracker  Compaay,  beside9 
his  master  strokes  of  policy  Bjn*1"°S  *°a  other  leading  concerns.  His  hand  is  also 
at  the  same  time  calling  lor  the  common-  8een  -n  railroad  business,  ne  having  been 


dation  of  the  community. 
Although    not    34   years  of  age,  he  has 
time  and   time    again    formulated    enter- 
prises and  carried    them    to    a    successful 
completion    which    have   baffled  the  tact 
and    ingenuity    of    more    mature    years. 
After    a   residence  in  Salt  Lake  City  and 
before  reaching  his    majority   he   gained 
an   experience  in  a  business  and  a  specu- 
lative wav  which  has  since  proved  of  al- 
most inestimable  value  to  him.    Twelve 
years  ago  he  returned  to  California  and 
engaged  in  mining  in  Placer  county.    By 
adopting  a  most  systematic  plan   of  con- 
ducting the  business  he  made  <m  unquali- 
fied   success   of  it.     Before  retiring  from 

occii  m  lainuau  uusiiioou,    uo  uikYlUJC     ueen 

the   leader  of   the    syndicate  promoting 
the  Short  Line  Riilroad   from  Salt   Lake 
to  Los  Angeles. 
In  politics  he   is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  leaders   of  the  Republican   party  in 
California,  and   has  lately   been  honored 
by  being  appointed  as  an   alternate  dele- 
gate to  the  national  convention.    Another 
deserved    recognition   of  his   abiiitj'  and 
worth  was  his  appointment  on  Governor 
Waterman's    staff,    which    position   it  is 
needless  to  say  was    filled    with  credit  to 
the  service  and  to  himself. 
Colonel  Trumbo  is  most  unassuming  in 
ins  demeanor,  and  his  easy  manner  of  re- 
ception  make   all    feel    at    home.     He  is 
most  charitable  to  the  needy  as  his  many 

quiet  deeds  of  kindness  will  attest.  It  is 
not  surprising  therefore  that  he  has  hosts 
of  friends  and  has  the  unqualified  esteem 
of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  is  certainly  de- 
serving of  both. 

JAMJESJ     6.     FAIR. 

A  Man  to  Whom  California  and  Nevada 
Owe  Much. 

A  biography  of  James  G.  Fair  is  not 
necessary  to  brine  him  before  the  public  ; 
mind.  During  the  past  forty-three  years  he 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  Pacific  coast,  and 
prominently  identified  with  its  industries, 
improvements,  and  especially  its  mining 
interests.  No  operator  has  been  more 


this  sketch,  J.  L.  Gould.  Coming  to  Cali- 
fornia from  Maine  early  in  the  fifties  he 
located  in  El  Dorado  county  and  engaged 


James  0.  Fair. 


J.  L.  Gould. 


successful  in  detecting  and  tracing  up  in- 
dications of  ore,  perceiving  the  qualities 
of  new  machinery  and  adapting  it.  to  its 
requirements.  His  scientific  knowledge 
tnti  energy  were  the  me'ina  by  which  he 
acquired  his  enormous  fortune. 

He  exercised  a  personal  supervision 
over  all  the  mines  with  which  ho  W;'8 
identified,  and  received  daily  reports  from 
his  several  managers  to  whom  he  gave 
each  night  instructions  for  the  following 
day.  Mr.  Fair's  commercial  standing  is 
of  the  highest.  He  is  very  popular  for 
his  genial  and  social  qualities  among  his 
Iriends,  as  well  as  admired  and  esteemed 
among  his  business  associates.  Mr.  Fair's 
political  career  as  United  States  Senator 
was  entirely  satisfactory  to  his  constitu- 
ents, but  was  merely  an  incident  in  his 
life,  which  is  that  of  an  eminently  suc- 
cessful mining  operator. 

J.     L.      GOUI.JD. 

A  Hydraulic  Mining  Kxpert  and  His  Vast 
Interests. 

One  of  the  pioneers  of  the  State  who  has 
mode  a  careful  study  of  hydraulic  mining 
from  every  standpoint  is  the  subject  of 


in  mining.  He  stayed  in  this  county 
pome  little  time,  meeting  with  varying 
success,  but  not  beinu  satisfied  he  moved 
to  Placer  county,  where  he  has  remained 
ever  since.  Mr.  Gould  is  well  known 
throughout  the  .State  as  organizing  an  al- 
most perfect  system  of  hydraulic  mining. 
It  wan  largely  through"  his  efforts  and 
8t u-iy  (h  it  tiie  ricli  mines  in  the  ancient 
river  bed  running  through  Dutch  Flat 
have  been  ma  le  to  yield  such  enormous 
dividends.  When,  in  reality,  tho  work 
vr.is  but  fairly  begun,  and  every  indication  ; 
p  lint. -Hi  to  immense  yields  in  future,  the 
d"bris  question  cnmci  up,  and  as  a  conse- 
quence the  mines  have  been  shut  down 
ever  since.  Mr.  Gould  ha?  not  confined 
Jiis-operaticns  exclusively  to  mining.  At 
tilfferent  times  he  has  been  engaged  in 
Numbering,  fanning,  th*  construction  of 
'reservoirs,  tunnels,  ditches,  etc.,  in  all  of 
!  which  he  is  successful.  He  lives  with  his 
jiamily  in  an  elegant  home  in  Dutch  Flat, 
land  while  the  place  is  at  present  prnc- 
Itically  deserted,  Mr.  Gould  has  pinned  his 
faith  to  the  locality,  believing  that  with 
Jtne  resumption  ot  hydraulic  mining  Dutch 
'  Fiat  will  be  one  of  the  most  thriving  inter- 
ior towns  of  the  State.  He  is  a  most  unas-  j 
Burning  man,  the  doer  of  many  quiet  deeds  ! 
of  charity,  and  is  universally  admired  and 
respected  by  the  public  at  large  and  en- 
deared 'o  the  hearts  of  hia  friends  and 
acquaintances.  


J.     E.     DOO  LITTLE. 

A    Born   Miner   nnd  a  Miner  All   of   His 
Life. 

Trie  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at 
the  old  Doolittle  mine  on  the  South  Yuba 
river,  one  mile  below  the  town  of  Wash- 
ington, Nevada  county,  on  January  10, 


1856.  His  father  was  a  pioneer  of  1849, 
being  one  of  the  first  arrivals  during  that 
memorable  period.  He  settled  In  Nevada 


J,  E.  Doolittle. 


county  and  engaged  in  mining,  and  also 
built  numerous  roads,  ditches,  etc.,  be- 
sides making  many  improvements  in 
milling  and  mining  machinery.  He  was 
a  thorouch  miner  from  start  to  finish, 
and  as  a  consequence  roado  mining  a  suc- 
cess, li  is  not  surprising  therefore  that 
his  son,  closely  following  in  the  footsteps 
of  his  father, 'should  also  have  made  an 
unqualified  success  of  the  business.  He 
has  been  engaged  in  mining  the  greater 
portion  of  his  life,  having  mined  in  several  i 
counties  in  California,  but  settling  inj 
jjutcn  Flat  as  a  permanent  plnce  for  his  I 
operations.  With  his  thorough  knowl-  ' 
edge  of  hydraulic  mining  he  has  been 
more  rhan  successful  and  had  not  the  in- 
junction been  placed  on  this  character  of 
mining  he.no  doubt  would  have  built  up  < 
an  immense  fortune.  Mr.  Doolittle  is  one  j 
of  the  most  convincing  talkers  in  the 
State  and  the  strongest  opponent  of 
hydraulic  mining  is  easily  won  over  to  his 
way  of  thinking  after  listening  a  short 
time  to  nis  arguments.  He  is  a  genial 
man,  liberal  to  a  fault,  and  has  hosts  of 
friends  throughout  the  State.  He  accepts 
the  present  situation  philosophically,  be- 
lieving that  but  a  short  time  will  pass 
when  the  miners  will  be  given  their  dues 
and  be  allowed  to  resume  work. 


CHARLJES     S.     WIKL.AND. 

President    of   One    of  Amador  County's 
Great  Mining  Companies. 

In  a  review  of  tha  mining  districts  of 
Calitornia  and  the  Pacific  coast  the  same 
would  be  incomplete  without  notice  being 
given  to  one  of  our  most  progressive  young 
citizens,  Charles  S.  Wieland.  He  is  the 
son  of  John  Wieland,  the  well-known 


brewer,  and  though  but  25  years  of  age  he 
has  made  himself  one  of  the  most  repre- 
sentative business  men  in  San  Francisco. 

On  leaving  college  he  became  officially 
connected  with  the  Philadelphia  Brewery, 
where  he  first  evidenced  his  business  tact 
and  ability.  When  th<s  John  Wieland  Brew- 
ing Company  was  formed  he  was  elected 
secretary,  which  position  he  held  until 
the  business  passed  into  the  hand*  of  the 
present  owners.  As  president  ot  the  Clin- 
ton Consolidated  Mining  Company  his  in- 
fluence has  been  strongly  felt  in  mining 
circles.  This  company  owns  some  of  the 
most  valuable  mining  property  in  the 
United  Stales,  and,  under  Mr.  Wieland's 
able  supervision,  the  aff.urs  of  the  com- 
pany are  prospering.  The  property  of  this 
company  comprises  what  is  known  P  the 
Clinton,  Macato  and  the  Clinton  Peak 
mines.  Tnese  mines  are  situated  six  and 
one-half  miles  east  of  Jackson,  in  the 
Pine  Grove  mining  district.  The  claim 
ha*  4200  leet  of  ledges  in  it— one  of  1200 
feet  and  two  of  1600  feet  each.  There  are 
three  l.-irge  quartz  veins,  from  fourteen  to 
twenty-two  teet  wide,  with  cross-veins  ot 
from  four  to  five  feet  in  width. 

The  property  of  the  consolidation  con- 
sists of  six  full  claims,  each  1500x6-JO  ieet, 
and  has  been  opened  in  places  by  boih 
tunnels  and  shafts.  The  surface  is  worked 
by  a  gravity  tramway,  800  feet  in  length 
to  tho  miie.  The  two  upper  and  lower 
beds  upon  the  property  are  known  as  the 
Union  and  Paugh  veins.  The  veins  con- 
tain mostly  ribbon  rook,  heavily  charged 
with  auriierous  sulphurets,  also  galena, 
the  same  being  estimated  as  high  as  $600 
to  the  ton.  A  fine  thirty-stamp  mill 
is  in  operation  ut  the  mine.  The  mill 
is  suppl.ed  with  both  water  and 
steam  power.  The  water  power  con- 
sists of  a  six-foot  Pelton  wheel  work- 
ing under  a  head  ot  166  feet.  The  steam 
power  consists  ot  a  12x24  Meyer's  cut-off 
engine  and  a  64x16  horizontal  tubular 
steam  boiler.  The  water  is  conveyed  to 
the  mill  by  a  pipe  running  2000  feet  in 
length  irorn  the  ditch  system.  The 
stamps  weigh  1000  pounds  eacn  and  are 
of  the  finest  quality  made.  Twelve  Frue 
concentrators  are  also  used  to  save  the 
sulphureta.  The  ore  bin  has  a  capacity 
of  240  tons,  and  two  black  rock  breakers, 
9x15,  are  used  to  press  the  ore  for  the 
s  amps.  Some  time  ago  the  company 
decided  to  erect  chlonnation  works  in 
order  to  handle  their  own  sulphurets. 
The  works  are  now  running  "with  a 
capacity  of  eix  tons  a  day.  Throughout 
the  entire  mine  the  same  appearance  of 
solidity  is  noted  and  everything  neces- 
sary to  the  successful  operation  of  the 
mine  is  looked  out  for.  The  company 
has  lately  added  an  IngersoU-Sergeant  ore 
compressor  plan  to  run  three  drills,  con- 
sisting of  0119  12*4x14  In^ersoll-Sergeant 
piston  in  the  cold  ore  compressor  class 
"B,"  driven  with  water-jacketed  cylinder 
and  heads,  and  three  Ingersoll  clamp 
drills,  with  columns,  clamps  and  acces- 
sories. 

The  town  of  Wieland,  named  after  the 


president  of  the  company,  has  lately 
sprung  up,  and  from  present  indications 
i  large  settlement  will  soon  be  in  exist- 
ence there.  There  are  225  houses  there 
already,  with  the  prospects  of  a  large 
number  being  built  in  the  near  future.  A 
postoffice  will  shortly  be  established 
there,  and  it  is  the  intention  of  the  com- 
pany to  erect  a  school  house  and  employ  a 
learner  at  their  own  expense  in  order  to 
give  the  families  of  the  mining  element 
nn  opportunity  to  educate  their  children 
free  of  charge.  In  round  numbers  the 
company  have  expended  about  $300,000  in 
improvements  to  this  property.  It  may 
readily  be  conceived  that  the  past  or 
present  return  from  the  mines  or  the  cer- 
tainty oi  future  returns  must  be  necessary 
to  insure  such  a  large  outlay. 

The  ore  averages  about  $6  per  ton, 
most  of  it  bring  at  this  rate.  It  takes 
second  rank  among  the  gold  producers  in 
this  county,  but  one  mine  running  ahead 
of  this  amoun  t. 

Mr.  Wieland,  besides  taking  a  promi- 
nent place  in  mining  circles,  occupies  an 
enviable  position  in  social  and  frater- 
nul  relations.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
during  the  vote  for  the  most  popular  Na- 


his  ambition,  he  went  to  Nevada  City, 
where  he  stayed  lor  one  and  one- half 
years.  He  met  with  varying  success  in 
Nevada  county,  sometimes  believing 
that  a  fortune  awaited  him  in  time, 
and  possibly  on  the  morrow  looking  face 
to  face  with  poverty.  Arriving  in  Vir- 
ginia City,  Nev.,  he  prospected  the  coun- 
try thoroughly,  and  stayed  there  until 
1861.  He  was  there  before  there  was  a 
single  house  built,  and  only  a  place  which 
was  seemingly  a  barren  waste.  Hearing 
of  the  immense  richness  of  the  mines  in 
[daho,  he  disposed  of  his  interests 
in  Virginia  City  and  went  to  Florence, 
lie  immediately  engaged  in  min- 
ing, staying  there  until  1865,  at 
which  time  he  went  to  Butte  City, 
Montana,  and  for  twenty-seven  years  he 
has  made  his  home  in  that  place,  spend- 
ing most  of  his  time  and  enargies  in 
placer  mining.  While  it  is  not  known  by 
the  majority  of  people  not  directly  inter- 
ested in  mining  that  Butte  City  ever 
offered  facilities  for  plaoer  mining,  Mr. 
Noyes  states  that  this  WHS  the  principal 
ind'ustry  at  that  time.  The.  present  site  of 
Butte  City  has  been  mined  by  different 
[  companies,  the  present  location  of  the  gas 
*  works  being  worked  by  Mr.  Noyes.  Mr. 
\  Noyes  has  been  very  successful  in  these 
operations  and  has  amassed  a  large  for- 
tune. Some  time  since  he  Siecame  inter- 
ested in  the  Coour  d'Alene  district,  and 
a*  a  result  the  Cccur  d'Alene  Silver  and 
L°ad  Mining  Company  was  incorporated. 
When  this  mine  was  in  full  operation  it 


Charles  S.  Wieland. 


tive  Son  Mr.  Wieland  stood  quietly  in 
the  background,  never  making  an  effort 
to  gain  a  vote  for  himself.  Notwithsfand- 
ing  this  fact  he  was  voted  to  be  the  most 
popular  in  the  order,  his  majority  running 
over  10,000.  He  is  a  inemoer  of  Alcalde/' 
Parlor,  No.  154,  and  thin  recommendation 
was  highly  appreciated  by  all  ot  the  mem- 
bers of  this  parlor.  

JOHN     SIOYJE8. 

A    Pioneer     of    the      Butte     and     Coeur 
d'Alene     Districts. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  the 
Pacific  coast,  who  has  long  been  identi- 
fied with  the  early  history  of  mining,  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  John  Noyes. 
Arriving  in  California  in  1852  from  Can-j 
ada,  he  immediately  started  mining  nearS 
Bridgeport,  Nevada  county.  The  method | 
then  in  use  was  a  pick  and  shovel,  nandj 
and  rocker.  He  rained  there  about  two 
months,  but  this  method  proving  tool 
slow  for  him.  and  the  i>rofit  not  suiting! 


John  Noyes. 


employed  140  men,  the  average  output 
being  'about  250  tons  daily.  With  the 
other  mine.?  affected  by  the  strikes  in  this 
district,  it  is  closed  down,  and  about  2000 
men  are  out  of  employment  in  this  dis- 
trict c  -used  from  the  strike. 

Mr.  Noyes  »s  very  hopeful  for  future  re- 
sults, both  in  Montana  and  Idaho,  and 
says  that  he  considers  it  the  greatest  min- 
ing region  in  tho  world.  Mr.  Noyes  is 
heavily  interested  in  real  estate,  both  in 
Butte  and  in  Seattle,  Wash.  In  the  latter 
place  he  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Grand 


Hotel  on  Front  street,  considered  to  be 
one  of  the  finest  hotels  in  the  North  wes'. 
Mr.  Noyes  ha3  two  sons  aged-  18  and  19 
respectively,  who  are  going  to  school  in 
San  Francisco,  and  upon  completion  of 
their  education  will,  no  doubt,  follow 
in  their  father's  footsteps  and  relieve  him 
some  from  many  business  cares  incident 
upon  the  care  of  his  diversified  Interests. 

JAMES     F.     TJCHKNOR. 

Some     of     tlie      Mining     Operation*     In 
Whicli  He  Has  Participated. 

New  York  has  been  a  prolific  field  for  j 
raining  operations,  as  James  B.  Haggin 
and  other  well-known  operators  can  at-  ' 
tesc.  In  1882  there  went  to  New  York 
from  San  Francisco  as  a  mine  operator 
and  promoter  James  F.  Tichenor,  who 
has  since  resided  there,  with  occasional 
returns  to  the  Pacific  coast  to  visit  mining 
properties  in  which  he  is  interested.  Mr. 
Tichenor  was  no  stranger  to  New  York, 
for  he  came  originally  from  Jersey,  just 
across  the  Hudson,  and  he  had  lots  of 
friends  in  the  great  commercial  center. 
The  Tichenors  are  an  old  Jersey  family 
whose  history  and  traditions  go  back  sev- 
eral hundred  years,  and  whose  record  has 
always  been  a  guarantee  of  honesty  and 
good  faith. 

Mr.  James  F.  Tichenor  first  visited  San 
Francisco  in  1870.  when   the  mining  ex- 
citement on  Calitornia  street  was  at  fever 
heat.  He  speedily  made  the  acquaintance 
of  the  leading  operators   and   capitalists, 
among   others  General   George  S.  Dodge, 
who  was  freely  interested  in  the  Eureka 
Consolidated    Mining   Company's  opera- 
tions.    It  was  what  may  be  called  a  very 
big  deal,  and  Tich*nor  speedily  secured  a 
block  of   stock,    which    he    subsequently 
sold  at  a  large  profit.     His   operations  in 
Eurekn  naturally  directed  his  attention  to 
other  Nevada  mining  districts,  and  he  be- 
came largely  interested  in   the   Tuscarora 
district,  and  built  the  first  stamp  mill  in 
that  excitable  mining  camp.     It  was  then 
that  he  learned  his  first  object  lesson   in 
mining,  for  after  the  mill  was    completed 
and  ready  to  run   he   discovered   that   ha 
hadn't  a  mine  to   supply  the  ore.     Many 
an  older  miner  has  made  the  same  error, 
over  and  over  aaain.     The  owners   of  the 
Grand  Prize  had  a  big  mine  but  no   mill, 
so  negotiations   speedily  resulted   in   the 
mill  becoming  the  property  of  the   mine. 
Tichenor    secured    big    blocks    of   Grand 
Prize    stock,    and    when    it    was    selling 
freely  at  $20  per  share    realized   sufficient 


J.  F.  Ttchenor. 


not  only  to  pay  for  the  mill  several  times 
over,  but  a  small  fortune  besides. 

Mr.  Tichenor's  next  successful  venture 
was  in  the  bis*  Sierra  Nevada  deal  which 
onvulsed  the  San  Francisco  stock  market 
n  1878.  Probably  more  money  was  made 
and  lost  on  the  Sierra  Nevada- Union  deal 
han  upon  any  operation  connected  with 
he  Comstock.  And  here  is  where  Mr. 
Dichenor  learned  a  second  lesson  which 
las  been  taught  over  and  over  again  to 
nine  operators:  "Clean  up  your  stock; 
hen  stay  out."  He  obtained  early  infor- 
mation as  to  the  situation  of  affairs,  se- 
cured lots  of  stock,  which  lie  sold  not  ex- 
acily  at  top  prices,  but  he  realized  a  profit 
o  the  good  of  ,$450.000.  Then  cn.rne  the 
temptation  ami  the  lesson.  The  break 
came,  and  from  top  prices  the  stock 
ooked  cheap  and  Tichenor  went  in  again 
and  lost  some  of  his  previous  profits,  but 
not  all,  "All  things  considered,  Sierra- 
Union  treated  m«  fairly  well,"  is  Mr. 
!'ichenor's  general  reflection. 
In  1882  he  went  back  to  New  York  and 
asn't  Jong  before  he  was  floating  blocks 
>f  Tuscarora  stocks  on  the  New  York 
narket.  He  made  new  friends  rapidly, 
>ecauae  advising  them  to  buy  Navajo  at 
ess  than  a  dollar  per  share  they  realized 
it  from  .$5  to  $10.  The  Navajo  deal, 
brilliant  as  it  was,  w:is  followed  by  the 
N"orth  Belle  Isle,  Commonwealth,  Belle 
J.sle  and  other  brilliant  operations,  in 


which  big  profits  were  made  on  the 
Tichenor  tips.  It  is  only  fair  to  state 
that  in  all  his  New  York  speculation  Mr. 
Tichenor  has  been  very  successful,  and 
his  success  has  not  been  at  the  expense  of 
his  friend?,  leaving  bitter  reminiscences. 
They  are  always  ready  to  invest  when 
Tichenor  gives  the  word. 

The  chief  object  of  interest  on  the  Pa- 
cific coast  now  tor  Tichenor  is  the  devel- 
opment of  a  group  of  miles  in  Mono 
county,  Cal.,  not  many  mines  from  the 
Bod  ie  camp  as  tho  crow  Hies.  Associated 
with  him  in  this  work  of  unearthing  what 
they  believe  is  a  coming  "winner"  are 
John  F.  Cassell  and  Steve  Roberts,  who 
are  pretty  well  known  in  San  Francisco's 
mining  circles.  Georga  Crocker  is  inter- 
ested in  tho  same  property.  From  his 
confidential  advices  Mr.  Tichenor  ig  satis- 
fied that  the  new  property  will  pay  hand- 
sotno  dividends  when  the  work  of  devel- 
opment shail  be  completed,  but  there  is 
no  disposition  to  market  the  stock  at  the 
present  time. 

It  was  through  Mr.  Tichenor's  earnest 
efforts  f.hi-.t  Port  Orford,  Or.,  was  declared 
by  the  Government  to  be  a  harbor  of  refuge. 
His  uncie,  Captain  Tichenor,  possesses 
1  trge  land  and  lumber  interests  at  Port 
Orford,  in  which  his  nephew  il  also  inter- 
ested. 


JAMES     R.     KKKNK. 

A    Man    of    Indomitable    Perseverance 
and     Sterling     Integrity. 

One  of  the  most  picturesque  figures  In 
that  remarkable  group  of  speculators, 
financiers  and  adventurous  spirits  whom 
the  riches  of  the  Corns  took  drew  to  San 
Francisco  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  in 


1860  and  1861,  was  James  R.  Keene. 


int  success  for  several  months,  returning 
aome  to  find  that  fire  had  literally  swept 
\way  the  town  where  his  family  had  set- 
tled and  with  the  home  had  gone  all  his 
Emily's  possessions  as  well,  and  the  Dop- 
ulation  of  the  destroyed  hamlet  had  been 
obliged  to  camp  about  the  hills  in  tents. 
Securing  a  team,  the  lad  joined  in  the 
general  Work  of  hauling  lumber  and  such 
other  materials  as  were  necessary  to  re- 
build the  town.  When  this  work  was 
over  young  Keene  went  into  the  cattle- 
raising  and  dairy  business.  Then  later  he 
bought  a  sawmill  and  a  flouring-rnill  and, 
in  fact,  turned  his  hand  to  everything  in 
his  ambitious  desire  to  help  along  the  for- 
tunes of  his  family. 

Making  no  money  worth  speaking  of  i 
these  various  undertakings,  he  tried   the 
newspaper  business  and  for   a  couple  of 
years  edited  a  local   paper  rather  success- 
fully, but  this  brought  little  fame  and  less 
revenue.     Meanwhile   he  occupied   every 
spare   moment  in  general  reading  and  in 
the  study  of  the  law,  and   before   he  had 
ceaaed  to  be  an   editor   he   had   strength- 
ened his  mind  with  an  acquaintance  with 
every  book  which  came  within  his  reach. 
Just    at   this   period   came  news  of  the 
great  discoveries  upon  the  Cornstock  lode, 
and  Keene  started  lor  Nevada.    There,  for 
the  first  time,  he  found  ample  field  lor  hit 
activities.     He    went    to    San   Francisco, 
and  in   the  course  of  a  few  months  made 
his  first  $100,000,  returning  home  to  marry 
Sarah    Dangerlield,    sister     of     the    late 
Judge    William     P.    Dangertield.      Back 
to    San    Francisco,    actively    engaged   in 
business,  he   lost  all  that  he  had  made  in 
the  great  collapse  following  the  first  infla- 
tion in  Corastooic  shares,  and  found  him- 
self in  debt  for  a  large  amount  of   money.' 
For  more  than  a  year  following   he  had  a 

J.     \JL       J..UVS  ., 1 1--.J        I  y~*0  f 


hard    struggle.     All   his   friends   had  lost 
Crossing  the  plains  in  '52  or  '53,  he  ar-    thei: 

rived  in  California  at  the  age  of  13,  tough- 

ened by  the  exposure  involved  in  that 

long  journey.     He   brought  with   him  a  .  U11C1.,  „„  ^^  ----    __. 

eve  on  the    stock   market,  feeling  that 
that   field  W'S  his   only  chance,  measured 


fair  knowledge  of  Latin    and  French,  and 
a     thorough     knowledge     of    his      own 


and  be  became  acquainted  with  sorrow  in 
its    severest    forms.      But    his    dauntless 
spirit  was  not  overcome.     He   refuse* 
offers  to  engage  in    business,  keeping  his 


language,    acquired    through     years     of    j£  —  fl— — ;-  RQ  ^nally  8UCCeed8d    in 


drilling  in  tne  English  schools.  His 
father,  who  was  a  merchant  in  London, 
had  suffered  business  reverses,  and 
brought  his  family  to  the  great  El  Dorado 
to  start  lile  anew. 

There  was  nothing  in  the   traits  or  ap- 
pearance of  thi*    boy   to  suggest  that   he 


by  the   estimate  he  had  of  his  own  specu- 

d    in 
Bur- 


obtaining  a  position  with  William 
ling,  who  was  the  great  broker  a. 
that  time;  and  to  young  Keene  Burling 
gave  the  execution  of  all  ot  hi*  vast  busi- 
ness outside  ot  the  Stock  Exchange. 
showed  such  ability,  fidelity  and  secrecy 
orders  that  he 


in  the  execution  of  these   orders    that    ne 

was  destined  to  become   one  "of   the   fore-  gjjwas  off r red   by   Charles   1ST.  Felton,  one 
most  speculators  not   only   in    California,  Rthe  present  United    Stites   Senators  fi 


California,  his  seat  in  the  Stock  Exchange, 
with   the    understanding    that    whenevt 
Felton  called   for   the  pnca    of   his    E 
Keene  should  pay  for  it,  a  kindness  t 
until  this  day  Keene  remembers,  and  tl 
two  men    are   still    close    friends.     Keo 
had  already  made  considerable  reputatic 
as  a  broker  and  operator,  and    the  aavan 
taee  of  a  seat  in  the  Stock  Exchange  gave 

j  wi.«  AU  MAV/OW  viu.jo  «n^  ^«-  i    him  opportunities  to  establish   aimsell  in 
termined  to   try  his    chancea    at    placer  [""  a  short  time  as  one  of  the  most  active  a 
mining.     This  he  followed  with  indiffer-       prominent  members  of  that  organization. 


but  in  the  East,  or  that  he  would  be 
known  among  leading  financiers  tho 
world  over. 

His  first  employment  was  with  the  Gov- 
ernment at  Fort  Redding,  where  with 
many  others  he  engaged  as  cowboy  to 
herd  Government  mules  and  cattle  in  the 
Indian  country.  Tiring  of  this,  after  a 
month  or  two,  he  caught  tho  fever  which 
attacked  every  one  in  those  days  and  de- 


least.     One 

is       known 

years      ago 

the   Klamat 

He  paid  his  debts. 

Scott  river,  < 

idly.     In  twelve   m 

ever,  nothin 

into  the   Stock  Ext 

regard  to  th 

partnership  made  .  v 
of  San  Francisco,  di 

ably  much  i 
posed. 

$400,000. 

Tli  ere  are 

The   struggle  anc 

£*onft   tlirnnwh   tnlH    i 

duction  by  i 

r*r*n     Hi«     r*r\M 

company    of    these     people 

to       have       taken       two 

from       their      claim      ou 

i    below    the    mouth    of  the 

>ver  $100,000.    Aa  a  rule,  how- 


n  an  operation  ou 


regard  to  their  earnings,  which  are  prob-  ne   market,  which  was 
ablv  much  larger  than  ia  -generally  sup-  ld  m   tne  course  ot  a 

i  credited  with  making 


(institution, 
which  was  never  strong,  Jund  his  nervous 
system  broke  down,  obliging  him  to  quit 
active  business  forsomo  months  t.o  recruit 
his  health.  When  he  returned  he  went 
into  speculation  v/ith  his  old  dash  and 
enthusiasm,  literally  lifting  the  stock 
m  irket,  which  he  found  absolutely  inert 
ami  dead,  into  a  »tate  of  great  activity; 
and  in  the  few  monrhs  following  ha  added 
largely  to  his  accumulations.  Again  oy 
the  order  of  his  physician  he  was  com- 

peKed  to  make  a  sea  voyage  to  China.  Ke 
left  behind  a  large  amount  ot  the  stock  of 
the  Consolidated  Virginia,  which  he  had 
become  convinced  was  destined  to  be  a 
largely  productive  property,  and  conse- 
quently advance  in  value.  Not  only  in  this 
was  he  not  mistaken,  but  %when  he  re- 
turned the  shares  rapidly  advanced  until 
they  reached  the  phenomenal  figures  so 
well  known  to  all  dwellers  on  the  coast 
and  participants  in  that  wonderful  specu- 
lation. Selling  out  his  stock  on  the  top 
of  the  wave  Koene  found  himself  with  a, 
fortune  of  nearly  $6,000,000,  but  with 
chattered  health  and  a  realization  that 
for  a  time  at  least  he  must  abandon  his 
active  career.  The  average  operator  would 
have  been  well  satisfied  with  the  results. 

During  this  period  an  event  occurred 
which  was  fraught  with  the  greatest  con- 
sequences to  the  financial  and  commer- 
cial interests  of  the  Pacific  coast — the  fail- 
ure of  the  Bank  of  California.  Having  no 
personal  interests  whatever  in  the  insti- 
tution, Keena  recognized  immediately 
the  emergency  which  confronted  the 
commercial  and  mining  communities, 
promptly  subscribed $1,009,000  personally, 
rallied  his  friends  in  the  Stock  Exchange 
and  passed  a  resolution,  ugainat  most 
'  formidable  opposition,  that  the  Stock 
Exchange  should  contribute  half  a  mil- 
lion more,  which  it  did,  and  then  by  per- 
sonal solicitation  secured  from  brokers 
and  capitalists  a  further  sum  of  three- 
quarters  of  a  million  to  the  relief 
syndicate  of  $8,000,000  organized  to 
rehabilitate  the  bank.  The  bank 
reopened  its  doors,  business  resumed  its 
normal  state  and  California  was  rescued 
from  what  threatened  to  be  a  great  calam- 
,  ity.  To  the  members  of  this  syndicate  the 
poople  of  California  owe  a  lasting  debt  of 
gratitude. 

Exhausted  by  the  anxieties  and  excite- 
ments of  his  large  speculations,  Keene 
determined  to  go  abroad,  and  left  Cali- 
fornia in  1877.  Finding  his  health  some- 
what improved  by  the  change  when  ho 
reached  New  York,  he  determined  to  re- 
main a  few  months  before  crossing  the 
Atlantic.  Naturally  his  restless  spirit  led 
him  into  Wall  street,  and  he  was  aoon 
speculating  with  the  same  freedom  that 
had  characterized  his  stupendous  San 


•  white  companies  :  Prices  of  all  railroad 
ac^unnca  « i,  liiia  time  was  too  great  a 
temptation  for  Keene  to  resist,  and  he 
forthwith  purchased  an  immense  line  of 
the  better  properties,  displaying  a 
knowledge  of  their  selection  on  the  short 
acquaintance  ha  had  with  them  which  no 
one  could  have  acquired  without  possess- 
ing that  inspiration  which  was  born  in 
this  remarkable  man. 

In  fifteen  or  sixteen  months  Keene 
accumulated  a  profit  of  nearly  $10,000,000 
and  sold  out  his  stocks  and  pocketed  the 
money.  Asrain  he  resolved  to  abstain 
from  business.  But  he  had  interests  left 
in  Chicag5  through  an  entanglement  with 
other  persons  in  a  speculation  in  wheat. 
Flushed  with  his  tremendous  California 
tind  New  York  successes,  strong  in  the 
posse3sipn  of  so  much  available  money 
and  indignant  at  what  he  deemed  a  piece 
of  treachery  on  the  part  of  one  of  his 
coadjutors,  'he  in  a  moment  of  weakness 
permitted  his  temper  to  get  the  better  of 
his  judgment  and  joined  a  syndicate  to 
control  the  wheat  of  the  world.  The  mag- 
nitude of  the  operations  of  this  combina- 
tion became  so  conspicuous  that  it  riveted 
the  attention  of  the  country  and  brought 
down  upon  the  undertaking  the  anath- 
emas of  the  entire  press. 

Purchasing  in  all  the  interior  markets, 
the  whole  stock  of  wheat  of  the  United 
States  (outside  of  California)  was  under 
its  control,  and  every  one  remembers  how 
nd  and  all  the  other  European 
countries  sat  down  and  refused  to 
buy. 

the  newspapers  took  up  the  warfare 
actively  against  the  combination.  Keene's 
allies  disregarded  their  contracts  and 
agreements  and  did  not  hesitate  to  sell 
out  their  holdings,  but  secretly;  and  he, 
with  all  the  world  arrayed  against  him, 
stood  up  and  ficed  the  consequences  at  a 
cost,  to  him  of  $8,000,000  in  less  than  sixty 
d  ays. 

He  was  still  a  rich  man  notwithstand- 
ing this  dreadful  drain.  But  his  prestige 
was  dimmed,  and  no  one  knew  better 
than  he  what  this  meant  in  Wall  street. 
Yet  it  is  related  that  people  who  called 
upon  him  at  this  most  critical  period  in 
this  eventful  drama  found  him  always 
perfectly  unruffled,  although  the  wildest 
stories  attacking  his  solvency  were  being 
spread  wherever  telegraph  wires  would 
carry  the  "news."  Bat  under  the  calm 
exterior — which  no  man  who  ever  lived 
could  maintain  with  more  composure — 
the  iron  had  entered  his  soul.  From 
that  time  he  engaged  in  operations  in 
stock  privileges  on  u  scale  so  great  that 
even  his  best  friends  felt  that  the  time 
would  corne  sooner  or  later  when  disaster 
would  surely  overtake  him.  This  came 
in  1884,  when  he  was  compelled  to  sus- 
pend payment,  producing  with  other  fail- 
ures at  the  same  time  a  tremendous 


panic    and    leaving    him   with   liabilities 
^segregating  between  $1,600, 000  and  $2,000,-, 

How  this  man  has  succeeded  in  wiping j 
out  this  vast  indebtedness  and   again  en- 
rolling himself  in  the' list  of  millionaires 
is  something    which   causes    Wall   street 
never-ceasing  wonderment.     But,  groat  r.s 
is  its   admiration   for   the  industry    and 
genius  which  have  produced    these    re- 
sults, it  is  less  than   tha  regard    which  it, 
has  for  Keene's  absolute  integrity  and  the 
respect    it    feels    for    the    fortitude    and 
courage  which  through  years  of  adversity 
sustained  him  and  marked  his  conduct  | 
and  his  bearing. 

In  reviewing  a  career  BO  exciting  and  so 
full  of  dramatic  interest  it  would  be  of 
value  if  a  writer  could  accurately  point 
out  its  controlling  characteristics. 
Whether  it  is  genius  or  the  result  of  cal- 
culation, industry  and  the  boldness  to  put 
in  execution  at  the  proper  moment  the 
plans  formed  in  such  a  fertile  mind  it  is 
difficult  to  determine.  There  will  be  a 
difference  of  opinion  always  on  these 
points,  as  there  will  be  regarding  the  wis- 
dom of  some  of  the  undertakings  which 
brought  disaster  to  his  fortunes.  But 
aside  from  these  considerations  James  R. 
Keene  will  always  be  regarded  by  those 
best  capable  of  forming  an  opinion  as  a 
leader  in  the  great  movements  in  the 
stock  markets  who  never  had  a  superior; 
and  despite  the  rivalries  and  antagonisms 
necessarily  involved  in  such  an  active 
career  there  will  be  few  found  to  dispute 
that  he  must  always  be  assigned  a  place 
in  the  first  rank  of  that  conspicuous 
coterie  of  men  who  in  E  urope  and  America 
have  at  various  times  controlled  the 
course  of  prices  in  the  exchanges  of  the 
world. 

,7 

A    Well-Known    Mining    Secretary  and 
Broker. 

For  many  years  Edward  M.  Hall  has 
occupied  a  prominent  position  in  the 
mining  community  as  secretary  and  as 
thf  buyer  and  seller  ol  mining  stocks. 
Probably  no  man  on  the  coast  is  better 
verged  in  the  many  intricacies  of  the 
various  stock  deals  which  have  taken 
place  in  the  San  Francisco  Stock  and  Ex- 
change Board.  He  has  by  close  applica- 
tion and  careful  study  familiarized  him- 
self with  the  mining  interests  of  the  coast, 
and  is  consequently  in  a  position  to  talk 
intelligently  on  the  subject  of  hydraulic 
mining.  Mr.  Hall  is  a  strong  advocate 
for  the  resumption  of  hydraulic  mimng 
and  predicts  that  when  the  present  diffi- 
culties are  overcome  that  the  business  in- 
terests of  California  will  be  given  a  great 
impetus.  Like  other  thinking  men,  he 
holds  that  the  enormous  amount  of  money 
which  could  annually  be  taken  from  the 
hydraulic  mines  could  not  fail  to  be, of  the 
greatest  benefit  to  the  State  at  large  in 
the  way  of  giving  employment  to  thou- 
sands of  men  and  creating  a  market  for 
manufactories  and,  in  fact,  almost  every 
class  of  business.  

J.     H.      NBJPF. 


L«St  throughout  the  State.  He  is  a  man 
of  sterling  qualities,  his  management  of 
the  Republican  convention  in  Stockton 


BALL. 


Jacob  H.  Neff. 


An  Active  and  Intelligent  Promoter  of 

Mining  Interests. 

J.  H.  Neff,  the  president  of  the  Miners' 
Association,  is  one  of  the  best-known  men 
in  the  State,  and,  while  living  in  a  small 
interior  town,  Colfax,  makes  his  influence 


while  in  the  chair  demonstrating  his 
clearheadedness  and  keen  foresight. 
Mr.  Neff  has  been  and  is  to-day 
one  of  the  hardest  workers  in 
the  cause  of  the  hydraulic  miners,  and  to 
his  untiring  efforts  much  of  the  success  of 
the  present  agitation  mast  be  as- 
cribed. 

He  is  never  discouraged,  even  when  the 
lookout  is  the  darfcesc,  and,  believing  as 
he  does  that  the  miners  cannot  fail  to  be 
successful  in  their  present  endeavors,  he 
invariably  whoops  up  the  courage  and 
hopes  of  some  more  inclined  to  look  for 
failure.  "  If  by  any  chance  we  should  not 
get  relief  from  this  present  Congress," 
said  Mr.  Neff,  "it  is  merely  delaying  it 
for  a  season,  but  it  will  come  eventually. 
Of  course  these  delavs  are  aggravating 
and  also  expensive,  but  we  have  the  con- 
solation of  knowing  that  we  are  so  near 
the  goal  that  any  day  we  will  receive  what 
we  have  been  working  so  long  and  earn- 
estly lor."  _____ 
A.  WA3L.KATH. 

He  Is  Heartily  in  Favor  of  a  Resumption 
of  Hydraulicking. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  advo- 
cates for  a  resumption  of  hydraulic  min- 
ing are  confined  to  the  class  directly  in- 
terested in  this  feature  of  mining.  On  the 
contrary,  the  quartz  miners  are  to  a  man 
j  in  lavor  of  it.  In  conversation  with  A. 
Walrath  he  stated  that  while  he  was  not 
directly  interested  in  hydraulic  mining, 
he  thought  the  present  agitation  a  good 
one,  and  one  in  which  he  would  give  his 
heartiest  co-operation  and  support.  Mr. 
Walrath  is  a  quartz  miner, 'having  re- 
cently  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the 
«  noted  Providence  mine.  While  the  shnt- 
!  down  of  the  hydraulic  mines  have  not  »f- 
lected  him  personally,  he  is  very  decided 
in  his  views  on  the  subject,  claiming  that 
the  discontinuance  of  hydraulic  mining 
has  been  one  of  the  greatest  and  most  ex- 
pensive mistakes  the  coast  has  ever  made. 


His  views  are  certainly  verified   by   the 
statistics  with  which  he  confronts  you. 

COLONEL     A.     ANDKJSW9. 


One  of  San  Francisco'*  Old«?«t  and  Best- 
Known  Business  Men. 


of  160  acres  and  the  email  sum  of  $250  in 

ish.     His  natural  independence  asserted 

eif,  and  instead  of  seeking  employment 

tUe      n        Louis«  and  with  the  a"* 
Mic 


^     .    ]  n  r?'     •       -n,     scientious  work  and  honorable  methods 

The  discovery  of  gold  in  California  with     spread  quickly  and  he  was  most  success. 


the  phenomenal  strides  to  prosperity 
made  by  the  State  since  that  time  form 
one  of  the  most  interesting  as  well  as  one 
of  the  most  important  chapters  in  modern 
history.  The  lives  of  the  sturdy  and  ven- 
turesome pioneers  occupy  a  conspicuous 
part  in  this  history,  and  probably  none 
stands  out  more  strongly  as  synonymous 
with  ability  and  integritj1-  than  thesuoject 
of  this  sketch,  Colonel  A.  Andrews.  This 
gentleman  has  since  the  date  of  his  land- 
ing  here  on  September  5,  1849,  been  closely 
identified  with  tho  interests  of  the  coast, 
and  hia  public  spirit  and  generosity  have 
long  been  asubject  of  most  favorable  com- 
ment. No  popular  movement  whereby 
the  State  at  Inrjre  would  prove  the  gainer 
has  been  started  without  hia  hearty  co- 
opera:  ion  and  support,  which  ha-i  been  so 
freely  given.  Whenever  it  has  been 
found  necessary  to  procure  financial  sup- 
port from  the  public  in  aid  of  any  move- 
ment Colonel  Andrews  has  always  boon 
found  to  bo  one  of  the  first  on  the  list. 

Colonel  Andrews  w.-»s  born  in  London, 
England,  in  1820,  but  while  yet  in  child- 
hood his  parents  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  in  New  Orleans.  Here  he 
received  his  early  education  and  was  given 
his  first  lessons  in  business.  How  well 
he  profited  by  them  can  be  seen  by  his 
present  standing  in  the  commercial 
world.  At  tho  outbreak  of  the  Mexican 
war,  young  Andrews,  then  a  lad  of  20 
year?,  was  appointed  to  a  lieutenancy  in 
the  Second  Ohio  Regiment,  but  his  adapta- 
bility to  the  profession  soon  made  it»elf 
noticeable  and  he  was  shortly  afterward 
promoted  to  the  post  of  captain.  His  ser- 
vices during  the  war  proved  most  valuable 
and  his  counsel  was  always  eagerly  sought. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  his  "worldly 
possessions  consisted  of  a  land  warrant 


-  .  .  success* 

lul  in  the  undertaking.  On  hearing  of  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  California  he  at  once 
determined  to  embark  for  the  new  El  Do- 
rado, and  on  September  5,  1849,  reached 
San  Francisco.  Starting  for  Sacramento, 
ne  established  himself  immediately  in 
tho  jewelry  business,  and  up  to  1856  con- 
ducted the  largest  and  most  successful  in- 
stitution in  that  city.  On  October  3,  1853, 
he  was  honored  by  being  appointed 
Colonel  on  Major- Gen  era  I  Batters  staff. 
This  was  the  first  staff  organized  in  Cali- 
fornia, and  Colonel  Andrews  was  the  first 
appointed  on  the  staff.  But  four  of  this 
body  are  «till  living,  namely,  Colonel  An- 
drews, Colonel  Moulder,  Colonel  Richard 
Sin  ton  and  Colonel  L.  L.  Warren. 

Closing  his  jewelry  business  in  1856, 
Colonel  Andrews  spent  eight  years  in 
traveling  and  in  different  speculations, 
embarking  in  many  enterprises  with  vary- 
ing success.  In  1872  Colonel  Andrews 
opened  the  celebrated  Diamond  Palace  on 
Montgomery  street,  the  fame  of  which 
institution  has  since  spread  all  oyer  the 
civilized  world.  The  name  adopted  for 
tho  establishment  by  Colonel  Andrews, 


Model  of  the  first  nugget  found  at  Coloma. 


Colonel  A.  Andrews. 


the  Diamond  Palace,  is  certainly  moat  ap- 
propriate. On  entering  the  doors  a  per- 
fect blaze  of  light  is  reflected  from  the 
large  number  of  diamonds  and  precious 
stones,  set,  unset,  in  cases,  reflected  from 
the  mirrors,  and  the  diamonds  and  prec- 
ious stones  composing:  a  portion  of  the 
ornamentation  of  the  exquisite  oil  paint- 
ings in  the  dome.  It  is  truly  a  wonderful 
sight,  and  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated. 
Colonel  Andrews  has  in  the  conducting 
of  this  establishment  demonstrated  his 
wonderful  aptitude  for  business,  as  he  has 
built  up  and  maintained  such  a  reputa- 
tion for  the  Diamond  Palace  that  "it  is 
now  justly  considered  one  of  tne  most  in- 
teresting sights  in  San  Francisco,  and  it 
is  no  uncommon  request  to  hear  from 
strangers  in  the  city  to  be  shown  the 
place,  they  having  heard  about  it  from 
i  fellow  travelers. 

Colonel  Andrews  has  always  made  it  a 

|  strict  rule  in   his  business  to  carry  goods 

^of   the    best    quality    and  workmanship, 

and,  having  once  gained  the  confidence 

of  the  public,  it  is  not  surprising  that  his 

business  to-day  ranks  first  in  this  line  on 

the  Pacific  coast,    and,    for  that  matter, 

will  challenge  comparison  with  any  like 

establishment  in  the  world. 

An    interesting     relio     which     Colonel 

Andrews  has  is  the  first  piece  of  gold  dis- 

« covered  in  California.     It  was  picked  up 

'by    Captain   John    Marshall    at    Coloma 

,n      1848      and       was       presented       by 

aim  to  General  Sutter,    who  presented  it 


onei  Andrews.     A.  lac-simiie  of  the 
gget  is  reproduced  in   the  accompany- 

cut.     Colonel  Andrews  has  had  many  '" 
offers  for  this  relic,  but  he  has  steadfastly 
refused   to  part  with  it.     This  small  nug- 
get may  aptly  be    termed   the    starting 
point  of  California  history.     Colonel  An- 
drewa'  generosity  is  well   known,  and  his 
appreciation  for  bravery  was  shown  when 
he  presented  to  an  engineer  on  the  North 
Michigan  and  Lake  Shore  road  a  magniti-  \_\ 
cent  gold    watch    and    chain    as  a  testi- 
monial of  the  bravery  and   presence   of  \ 
mind     displayed     during    what    looked 
like       a       terrible       railroad       fatality. 
Colonel  Andrews  never    makes    a    deni-  - 
onstration    of     his    charity     and     liber-: 
ality,  but  takes  it  as  a  matter  of  course.  ^ 
The  wisdom  of  the  selection    of   Colonel  ' 
Andrews  by  President  Arthur  as  commis-  l 
aioner  to  the  New   Orleans   Exposition  in 
JL885  and  also  to  London,  England,  in  1886,  c 
was  shown  by   the    splendid    work  done 
there,  and  the  handling  of  California  prod-  i 
ucts  by  him  has  been  of  vast  importance  ' 
to  the'State  by  inducing  immigration.     A  - 
point  well   worth  mentioning  is   that  on 

a  check  for  ! 


It  is  a  well- 
best 


H.  F.  Parting 


his  departure  he  was  given 
$10,000  to  carry  out  the  work. 
known  fact  that  California  made  the  es  Mntatives,  and  no  member  of  Congress 

fc?  Andrews   £K^^  "  °lr 

State.     Colonel  Andrews   is  an   honored    attention  to  the  interests  of  his  constitu- 
and     respected     Mason    of    forty    years' 
standing,    and  has  been  connected  with 


attention 

ents  and  the  country  at  large  is  concerned. 
His  first  notable  work  In   Congress  was 

various'civil  and  military  organizations  of  his  able  and  successful  attack  upon  the 
this  city,  belonging  in  fact  to  thirty-  Treasury  ruling  by  which  Mexican  lead 
three  different  organized  bodies.  (  a  May  Wft8  ac[mitte<j  free  of  a^y  to  ^is  countrv 

pVSn^^  8u°fc    •    proceedin g  would    be    and  was 

the  Mexican  War,  which  position  he  now  5^ile  l*  lasted,  fatal  to  the  lead  mining 
occupies.  He  was  also  the  last  president  of  interests  of  the  United  States.  Those 
Tammany,  and  first  vice-president  of  the  Americans  whose  mines  were  thns  ren- 
Manhafctan  Club.  d"ed,  valueless,  made  a  strong  protest, 

At  present  he  is  president  of  the  Eureka  a£d  found  in  Congressman  Bartine  an 
Building  and  Loan  Association,  a  com-  able  champion.  Free  lead  from  the 
pan v  with  a  capital  oi  $3, 000, 000,  and  also  wave-worked  mines  of  Mexico  bad  its 

president   of   the   Northwest    Gold    aad  ™°d'*n  S?"?rfeKM' ^nd  *tTOn*  on"  *£•* 

were  too.  But  the  Nevada  representative 
kept  up  the  contest  until  he  won  it,  and  a 
duty  of  \\i  cents  a  pound  was  levied  upon 
the  Mexican  product,  thus  saving  to  the 
United  States  one  of  its  moat  important 
mining  interests. 

As  a  member  of  the  Coinage  Committee 
of  the  present  Congress,  Mr.  Bartine  has 
won  a  national  reputation  by  his  master- 
ful struggle  for  the  remonetization  of  sil- 
ver. Particularly  notable  was  the  able 


Silver  Mining  Company  of  Buck's  Bar,  B. 
C.  He  was  elected  to  succeed  Colonel 
Harney,  who  was  killed  in  the  railroad 
accident  at  Tehachapi.  Taken  altogether 
Colonel  Andrews'  record  as  a  soldier,  a 
business  man,  and  as  a  citizen  is  without 
a  blemish,  and  his  present  en  viable  stand- 
ing is  certainly  deserved.  He  numbers 
bis  friends  by  the  thousand,  and  is  daily 
adding  to  the  number,  as  it  is  said  he 
never  meets  a  man  without  making  a 
friend  of  him.  Since  writing  the  above 
we  see  that  Colonel  Andrews  has  been 
elected  »  delegate  to  the  national  Demo- 
oratio  convention  at  Chicago,  for  which 
place  he  leaves  in  about  two  weeks. 

HON.     H.     F.     BABTINB. 

A    Stanch    Congressional    Champion    of 

Silver. 

No  man  in  public  life  has  proved  him- 
self an  abler  or  more  influential  friend  of 
the  silver  miners  than  Congressman  H.  F. 
Bartine  of  Nevada.  He  is  now  serving 
his  second  term  in  the  House  of  Repre- 


manner  in  which  he  met  the  noted  econ- 
omist, Edward  Atkinson,  the  champion  of 
the  gold  bugs,  who  was  obliged  to  retire 
from  the  field  completely  vanquished  by 
the  unanswerable  arguments  advanced  by 
the  member  from  Nerada.  In  many 
other  way*  has  this  gentlemen  won  the 
respect  and  admiration  of  the  friends  of 
silver. 

Congressman  Bartine  is  emphatically  a 
self-made  man,  and  is  a  worthy  represen- 
tative of  the  West,  which  is  his  home. 
Born  in  New  York  City  in  1848,  he  at- 
tended the  common  schools,  and  when 
but  15  years  of  age  he  enlisted  RS  a  private 
in  the  Eighth  New  Jersey,  serving  for  two 
years  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and 


receiving  a  severe  wound  at  the  battle  of  the  latter  year  he  went  to  Placer  county 
_the  Wilderness,  but  recovering  in  time  to  and  engaged  in  mining  and  mining  en- 
participate  in  the  glories  of  Apporaattox.  gineering,  engaging  in  large  hydraulic  en- 
In  1869  he  removed  to  Nevada,  where  he  terprises,  as  well  as  ledge  and  quartz  rain- 
served  a  partial  apprenticeship  in  mining  i°S  at  Iowa  Hill.  For  two  years  he  has 
as  a  mill  hand,  in  the  meantime  devoting  been  engagwd  as  field  geologist  of  the  State 
all  his  spare  time  to  study.  In  this  man-  Mining  Bureau.  He  was  one  of  the  or- 
ner  he  acquired  a  good  education,  and  in  ganizers  of  the  hydraulic  miners'  move- 
1876  began  to  study  law.  In  1880  he  was  ment  in  Placer  county  which  led  to  the 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and  was  a  candidate  sending  of  a  delegation  to  Washington, 
for  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  at  the  flas  always  been  a  friend  ot  the  miner,  and 
last  election,  only  refusing  that  to  accept  nas  been  uniformly  successful  in  life. 

a  renomination   to   Congress,   where    his  • 

good  work  had  endeared  him  to  his  con- 
stituents. He  was  elected  to  the  Fifty- 
first  Congress  by  a  large  majority,  and 
again  to  the  Fifty-second,  receiving  6610 
votes  against  5736  cast  for  George  W.  Cas 
•idy,  Democrat. 


JAM  IBS     L,.     FLOOD. 


J.     B.     IIOBSON. 


One    of 


the     Mont     Prominent    of    the 

Hydraulic    Miners. 

John  B.  Hobson,  who  has  been  engaged 
in  California  mines  and  mining  in  a  prac- 
tical and  scientific  way  for  many  years, 
has  just  returned  from  Washington,  where 
he  did  missionary  work  for  the  debris 
bill,  the  passage  of  which  will  be  of  such 
incalculable  benefit  to  the  State.  If  the 
measure  become  a  law  its  success  will  be 
large^due  to  the  logical,  matter-of-fact 
way  tnis  gentleman  presented  the  case  to 
shy  Congressmen.  No  better  man  for 
such  a  mission  could  have  been  selected 
by  the  California  State  Miners'  Associa- 
tion. Mr.  Hobson  is  47  years  old  and  a 
Dublin  Irishman,  which  means  that  he 
is  an  educated  gentleman.  His  father  was 
that  before  him.  In  1857  Mr.  Hobson 
went  to  school  in  San  Francisco,  subse- 
quently taking  complete  courses  in  min- 


J.  B.  Hobton. 


ing     engineering    aud    chemistry    under 

Thomas  Price.      From  1868  to  1872  he  was 

contractor  on  the  State   Capitol,  and  in 


Prominent  in  the  World  of  Finance  and 

Commerce. 

James  L.  Flood,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  is  a  native  Calilornian,  his  father, 
James  C.  Flood,  being  well  remembered 
as  one  of  the  bonanza  kings  associated 
with  James  G.  Fair,  William  O'Brien  and 
John  W.  Mackay.  At  an  early  age  young 
Flood  evinced  unmistakable  signs  of 
following  in  his  father's  footsteps  and 
being  a  fit  representative  for  his  parent's 
vast  interests.  Itha^so  often  been  said 
that  wealth  to  a  young  man  is  a  curse 
that  the  public  is  inclined  to  believe  this 
to  be  an  accepted  fact.  It  may  be  said, 
however,  ot  a  majority  of  the  native  ?ons 
who  have  been  so  fortunate  as  to  bo  born 
of  rich  parents  that  they  have  done  more 
to  dispel  this  illusion  than  any  other  class 
of  young  men  in  the  world.  James  L. 
Flood  is  certainly  one  of  this  class.  Pos- 
sessing a  naturally  keen  business 
mind,  which  has  been  greatly  sharp- 
ened by  contact  with  the  world, 
he  has  settled  himself  to  the  task  of 
managing  the  immense  interests  left  him 
in  a  manner  that  will  always  leave  the 
balance  on  the  proper  side  of  the  ledger. 
His  success  is  too  well  known  to  need  any 
very  lengthy  comment.  Sufficient  to  say 
that  no  one  could  have  acquitted  himself 
more  creditably,  Mr.  Flood  is  at  present 
a  director  in  the  Nevada  Bank,  one  of  the 
strongest  commercial  institutions  on  the 

.    Pacific  coast.      Duripg  the  term    of  his 

'}  directorship  he  has  demonstrated  to  the 
complete  satisfaction  of  all  concerned  that 
his  business  tact  and  foresight  are  far 

n  above  the  average,  and  that  the  confi- 
dence  reposed  in  him  has  certainly  not 

u  been  misplaced.  His  record  as  a  finan- 
cier places  him 


in   the   front  rank  of  the 


wealthy  men  of  the  State,  and  through 
all  he  has  shown  a  spirit  of  fair  dealing 
that  redounds  greatly  to  his  credit.  Not- 
withstanding his  large  interests  Mr.  .blood 
is  thoroughly  unassuming  in  his  manners, 
every  one  feeling  perfectly  at  home  when 
in  his  company.  He  is  the  doer  of  many 
quiet  charitable  actions,  notoriety  m  this 
regard  being  extremely  distasteful  to  him. 
By  his  genial  manners  and  his  liberality 
he  has  endeared  himself  to  the  hearts  of 
his  associates,  and  by  his  business  quaiifl 
cations  gained  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  the  community.  He  is  certainly  a,  rep- 
resentative young  Calif  or  nian. 


HJENRY     MARTIW. 

A  Warm  Friend  and  Promoter  of 
Mining  Bnterpriftei. 

Henry  Martin  of  Trinity  county,  while 
not  a  hydraulic  miner,  has  shown  a  great 
interest  in  the  movements  of  the  State 
Miners'  Association  and  by  every  means 
in  his  power  given  them  his  heartiest  co- 
operation and  support.  Mr.  Martin's 
mines  are  quartz  mines  and  are  situated 
in  Trinity  county,  in  which  place  the 
hydraulic  mines  are  not  affected  by  the 
injunction  placed  on  this  character  of 
mining,  as  the  tailings  all  run  into  the 
Pacific  ocean. 

Mr.  Martin  is  very  strong  in  his  denun- 
ciation of  the  complete  shut-down  of  hy- 
draulic mining,  and  has  given  both  his 
time  and  money  in  the  endeavor  to  gain 
relief  for  those  thereby  affected.  In  con- 
versation with  a  CHRONICLE  reporter  he 
said:  "I  consider  that  the  injunctions  pre- 
venting the  hydraulic  miners  fromworking 
their  property  are  nothing  more  nor  less 
than  a  virtual  confiscation  of  the  prop- 
erty. It  certainly  is  not  justice  for  one 
class  of  men  to  be  protected  by  the  Gov- 
ernment at  the  expense  of  another  class, 
especially  when  the  latter  class  is 
given  no  redress  or  reparation  for 
the  damage  done  them.  The  serving 
or  this  injunction  on  the  hydraulic  mines 
has  been  the  means  of  throwing  thousands 
of  men  out  or  employment;  the  number 
indirectly  affected  being  much  larger  than 
the  actual  number  of  miners  thrown  out 
of  employment.  It  has  taken  from  $8,000,- 
000  to  $12,000,000  annually  away  from  the 
circulating  medium  of  California  and  has 
been  an  indirect  injury  to  every  merchant, 
business  man,  financier,  »and  in  fact  every 
one  whose  interests  are  in  Calilornia. 
Taking  as  an  average  $10,000,000  per  year, 
which  is  the  most  conservative  estimate 
yet  made  by  engineers  competent  to  speak 
on  this  subject,  the  grand  total  would 
amount  to  $100,000,000  which  the  State 
has  been  deprived  of  since  the  mines  were 
shutdown.  This  fact  speaks  for  itself  and  is 
too  plain  a  showing  to  need  any  com  men t.  I 
firmly  believe  that  with  the  resumption  of 
hydraulic  mining  the  business  interests  of 
the  coast  will  be  given  an  impetus  which 
will  result  beneficially  to  almost  every 
man  who  is  interested  here.  The  feasi- 
bility of  the  retaining  dams  has  al- 
ready been  demonstrated,  and  it  certainly 
is  the  duty  of  the  Government,  after  de- 
priving the  miners  of  their  dues  for  so 
many  years,  to  help  them  out  to  this  ex- 
tent.1' 


Timothy  Guy  Phelps. 


TIMOTHY     GUY     PHELPS. 


Ha* 


Another     Practical      Miner     Who 
Worked    Hie    Way    Up. 

One  of  the  most  popular  of  the  pioneers 
of  '49  is  the  subject  of  this  brief  sketch, 
Timothy  Guy  Phelps,  United  States  Col- 

4— •'*.  '  " 


lector  of  Customs  at  this  port.  He  is  a 
New  Yorker  by  birth,  but  being  seized 
with  the  gold  fever  in  1849  he  joined  the 
venturesome  spirits  nnd  came  to  this 
coast,  and  immediately  engaged  in  min- 
ing. He  spent  some  little  time  in  the 
bouthern  mines,  but,  his  health  becoming 
impaired,  he  returned  to  San  Francisco 
and  started  in  the  mercantile  business,  j 
In  1856  lie  was  nominated  and  elected  a 
representative  of  San  Francisco  and  San 
Mateo  counties  for  the  Legislature.  He 
was  afterward  elected  to  the  State  Legis- 
I  iature,  during  both  of  which  terms  he 
made  an  enviable  record  for  himself. 

In  1861  be  was  elected  to  Congress,  and 
in  1869  was  appointed  Collector  of  Cus- 
toms in  San  Francisco.  Besides  holding 
this  position,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  University  Regents  and  of  the  Califor- 
nia Pioneers,  besides  holding  other  valu- 
able offices. 

W.     C.     RAXSTON. 

An  Active  Promoter  of  Hydranlia   and 
frther  Enterprise*. 

On  Thursday,  November  25,  1886,  ap- 
peared the  first  copy  of  a  weekly  paper 

t  called  the  Mining  and  Industrial  Advocate. 

j  The  paper  was  owned  by  W.  C.  Ralston 
and  J.  B.  Hobson,  and  its  name  signifies 
its  purposes.  It  is  not  generally  known, 
but  this  issue  was  the  starting  point  of  the 
present  agitation  on  hydraulic  mining. 
Mr.  Ralston  had  for  some  time  prior  to 
this  been  enpssred  in  mining,  having 
been  connected  with  the  Rilston  Mining 
and  Ditch  Company,  in  Piacer  county. 
When  the  restrictions  were  placed  upon 
the  hydraulic  mines  he  left  the  county, 
and.  coming  down  to  San  Francisco,  en- 


journalism.  ]Not  having  enough 
money  to  carry  the  undertaking  through 
as  he  wished,  he  gave  it  up,  and  accepted 
the  superintendency  of  a  drift  gravel 


W.  C.  Ralston. 


mine  in  Placer  county  for  a  French  com- 
pany, which  position  he  filled  until  ap- 
pointed a  notury  by  Governor  Mark  ham, 
at  which  time  he  came  to  San  Francisco. 
Mr.  Kaiston  is  certainly  entitled  to  the 
credit  of  starting  the  present,  movement  by 
his  work  years  ago.  When  the  present 
call  was  made  he  responded  at  once,  and, 
although  his  hydraulic  mining  interests 
were  so  small  that  it  was  not  worth  his 
while  to  spend  any  time  ou  them,  he  did 
the  major  portion  of  the  work  in  San 
Francisco  preparing  for  the  convention. 
His  selection  as  secretary  of  the  associa- 
tion1 was  unanimous,  and  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  no  man  on  the  coast  stands  higher 
with  the  mining  element  than  W.  C.  Ral- 


ston.  He  it  a  hard  worker  and  a  persist- 
ent one,  both  of  which  qualities  have 
proved  of  great  value  toward  the  success- 
ful organization  of  the  association.  Mr, 
Ralston  is  most  unaasuming,  and  really 
does  not  seem  to  think  he  has  accom- 
plished a  great  piece  of  work.  The  public 
know  what  his  services  are  worth,  and  he 
is  appreciated  accordingly.  His  selection 
as  United  States  Appraiser  is  another  de- 
served recognition  of  his  worth  and  abil- 
ity, and  he  has  the  entire  confidence  of 
the  public  that  his  work  will  be  well  and 
faithfully  done.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Technical  Society  and  the  American 
Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  New  York. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  California  Chapter, 
No.  5,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  of  the 
Stanford  Parlor,  Native  Sons  of  the 
Golden  West. 

SIMEON     WEN  BAN. 

The   Owner  of  One   of  the    Best   Sllrer 

Mines  on  the  Coast. 
One  of  the  pioneer  silver  miners  of  the 
Pacific  coast  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
Simeon  Wenban.  His  present  fortune 
and  success  place  him  in  the  front  ranks 
of  the  self-made  men  of  the  Pacific  coast, 
for  Mr.  Wenban  can  fairly  lay  claim  to 
having  absolutely  no  assistance  whatever 
from  outside  quarters  in  pushing  hia  busi- 
ness to  a  successful  completion.  For  years 
ne  struggled  against  adverse  fortune,  and 
when  a  majority  of  other  men  would  have 
long  since  given  up  the  fight  he  continued 
his  work  until  suoce«s  at  last  crowned  his 
efforts.  Up  to  1865  Mr.  Wenban  followed 
the  business  of  mining  without  meeting 
with  any  great  success,  but  since  that  pe- 
riod his  mines  have  been  among  the  best 
paying  in  the  State  of  Nevada.  He  is  the 
owner  of  several  mines,  the  majority  of 
them  not  now, being  operated  on  account 
Of  the  cost  of  production  and  deliv- 
ery and  the  low  price  of  silver. 


GARRISON    MINE,    NEVADA,    PROPERTY    OF    8.    WENBAN. 


Some  time  since  he  made  a  general 
assay  of  the  products  of  his  mines,  the 
average  being  $64  per  ton.  This  may  ' 
said  to  be  all  silver,  as  the  amount  ^ 
gold  carried  in  the  ore  is  almost  nominal. 
During  the  period  of  the  full  operation  of 
his  mines  he  gave  employment  to  150 
m«n,  the  number  of  souls  being  indirectly 
supported  by  his  enterprise  numbering 
fully  500  and  possibly  more.  No  man  in 
Nevada  is  more  deservedly  popular  with 
his  employes.  It  is  true  that  enormous 
profits  have  been  realized  from  the  mines, 
the  average  yearly  net  profit  amounting 
to  $500,000,  Mr.  Wenban  has  always  paid 
the  top  scale  of  wages,  and,  furthermore, 
always  paid  particular  attention  to  the 
comfort  and  safety  of  his  employes.  At 
present,  in  the  condition  of  uilver  mining 
in  Nevada,  he  is  employing  but  twelve 
men,  or  merely  enough  to  look  out  lor  the 
property  and  watch  his  interests. 

It  was  in  1862  that  Mr.  Wen  ban  first 
made  his  start  in  Nevada.  Proceeding  to 
Virginia  City  he  accepted  the  position  of 
superintendent  of  a  quartz  mill.  In  1863 
he  resolved  to  work  for  himself,  and 
joined  a  prospecting  party  at  Austin. 
Alter  enduring  may  hardships  the  party 
arrived  at  Mount  Tenabo  and  located 
fifty-six  claims.  The  Cortes  joint  stock 
company  was  at  once  organized,  and  in 
1864  an  eight-stamp  mill  was  erected  and 
the  ores  worked  by  tiia  wet  process,  the 
sttrne  as  on  the  Comstock.  After  $200,000 
had  been  expended  and  but  $20,000  taken 
out  the  works  were  closed  down.  Not 
disheartened  he  went  to  work  by  himself 
and  secured  a  part  ownership  in  four 
claims  in  the  Limestone  district,  which 
claims  he  afterward  purchased  for  $14,- 
000.  While  on  the  road  to  fortune,  a  lire 
destroyed  all  his  books,  papers  and  title 
deeds  to  the  claims.  Ho  then  went 
to  work,  located  the  claims  and  obtained 
United  States  patents  for  them. 
As  fast  as  money  was  taken  from  one 
mine  he  would  put  it  into  another  and  by 


quate  water  supply  he  bored  two  artesia 
wells,  costing  $30.000  each.  In  1886  h 
ubBtituted  the  amalgamating  for  th 
leaching  process  and  found  a  great  sav 
ing  thereby.  In  all  about  $3,500,000  ha 
been  taken  out  of  his  mines  up  to  1888. 

THK      HIBEKKIA     BANK. 

San  Franciaco'a   Great  Saving*  and  Loan 

Society. 

The  Hibernia  Savmgo  and  Loan  Society 
was  organized  in    April,  1859.     It  was  in 
tended  to  be    a  local  concern    doing  busi 
ness  with  and  for  the  people  of  this  city 
and  county  and    its    immediate    vicinity 
This  idea  has  been   carried  out,  and   with 
resources  exceeded  only  by  one  institution 
of  the  kind  in  tho   United   States  it   is  a 
Danfc  of  which  San  Francisco  is  and  ought 
to  be  very  proud.     All  its  money  is  loaned 
?  thlB*Sity'  Oakland  andAlameda,  except 
ibout  $2,000,000,  lent  on  country  property 
n  this  State.  When  it  is  remembered  that 
he  total    amount    of    money  secured   by 
first  mortgages  is  $20,531,276  it  will  be  seen 
what  a  large  monetary   interest   the  bank 
ias  in  San    Francisco   imd   the  city  in  it 
The  total  assets  of  the  bank  as  published 
n    the    sworn    statements   of   the   Bank 
Commissioners      for     the     vear     ending 
December     31,     1891,    are    $2949302150 
£•     ,Iar*e      8um      the    bank    holds 
n     United     States      bonds      and      other 
bonds  of   Hcknowledged  standing  the  &urn 
0^7,230870  91   the   actual  value  and  not 
the   market   value   being   taken   into    ac- 


en     no    ac- 

i      un,  '  ^\1U6    •    -the  class  to  which  these 
J  bonds  belong  it  is  well  known  the  market ' 


value  is  considerably  in  excess  of  the 
actual  value.  In  city  real  estate  the  bank 
owns  its  buildings  on  the  corner  of  Mont- 
gomery and  Post  streets  and  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Jones  and  McAllister  streata,  the 
former  valued  at  $200,000  and  the  latter 
at  $543,503,  very  safe  investment*.  At 
the  date  of  the  statement  the  cash  in  the 
vaults  of  the  banfc  amounted  to  $507,637. 
In  this  estimate,  of  the  bank's  asset*  the 
cautious,  safe  principles  of  the  conduct  of 
the  society  are  illustrated,  and  if  they 
were  realized  on  to-morrow  the  assets 
would  be  much  in  excess  of  the  handsome 
total  quoted. 

In  a  few  weeks  the  bank  will  move  Into 
Its  handsome  new  quarters,  one  of  the 
most  subsiantial  and,  fur  its  size,  costliest 
buildings  ever  erected  in  this  city.  James 
R.  KelJy  ki  the  president  of  the  Hibernia 
Savings  and  Loan  Society  and  Robert  J. 
Tobiu  is  the  secretary. 

JOHN     C.     QUINN. 

The  Achievements  of  One  of  California's 
Self- Made  31  en. 

John  0.  Quinn,  who  occupies  the  posi- 
tion of  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  for 
this  district,  is  a  native  Californian,  hav- 


John  C.  Qvinn. 


ins  been  born  in  El  Dorado  county  in  1859. 
His  chief  education  was  acquired  at  the 
public  schools  in  Nevada  City,  but  by  out- 
side study  and  close  application  he  has 
sained  that  scholarly  attainment  for 
which  he  is  well  known.  When  quite  a 
young  man  he  was  apprenticed  to  the 
iron-molding  trade,  and  being  a  hard  and 
conscientious  worker  he  soon  mastered  all 
the  intricate  details  of  the  business. 
Shortly  afterward  he  became  proprietor 
of  a  foundry,  in  which  business  he  was 
verv  successful. 

He  holds  the  honor  and  esteem  of  the 
community  in  which    he  lives,    his   acts, 
both  public  and   private,  being  above  re- 
proach.    In    tne  'administration    of    the 
aff  lira  of  his  office   he  has  shown  himself  I 
to  be  eminently  qualified  for  the  position,   fl 
and    the   kind   and    courteous    treatment  i ! 
which  he  extends  to  all  in  the  fulfillment 
of  hid   duties   has   made   him  a  universal 


favorite.  He  is  the  youngest  man  mat  , 
has  ever  held  that  office,  but  notwith- 
standing this  fact  no  one  can  say  that  the 
affairs  are  not  perfectly  conducted.  Mr. 
Quinn  has  hosts  of  friends,  among  whom 
ho  is  deserve  tly  popular. 

TWO    NOTABL.JB     MINKS. 

The     Golden     Gate      and     the      Golden 
Feather,    Near    Ororllle. 

The  history  of  the  Golden  Gate  and 
Golden  Feather  mines,  situated  near  Oro- 
ville,  are  full  of  interest.  Feather  river 
was  the  richest  gold  -  bearing  channel 
known  in  mining  history.  Where  the 
river  could  be  turned  vast  treasures  were 
obtained,  but  owing  to  lack  of  capital  and 
engineering  skill  some  of  the  richest  por- 
tions of  the  river  bed  were  left  untouched. 
Msjor  Frank  McLaughlin's  atten- 
tion was  called  to  one  of  these  rich 
strips,  now  known  as  the  Golden 
Gate  and  Golden  Feather  mines. 
He  prepared  maps,  plans  and  requisite 
drawings  of  tho  river  and  went  to  Eng- 
land, where  he  organized  two  companies, 
the  Golden  Gate  mine,  with  a  cap- 
ital of  $250,000,  and  the  Golden 
Feather,  with  a  capital  of  $1,000,- 
000.  Major  McLaughlin  was  made 
resident  manager,  and  during  the  past 
three  years  an  immense  amount  of  work 
has  been  done.  The  portion  of  the  river 
sought  to  be  worked  wan  in  a  narrow  and 
almost  inaccessible  canyon.  To  reach  it 
roads  had  to  be  constructed  at  immense 
expense,  buildings  erected  and  tools 
and  machinery  provided.  'A  rock 
and  crib  dam  were  built,  and  the  poles 
used  in  their  construction  were 
cut  twenty  miles  away  and  floated 
down  under  great  difficulties,  and 
were  finally  landed  on  the  opposite 
side  from  where  the  flume  was  to  be 
erected.  A  high  suspension  foot  bridge 
had  to  be  built  for  tne  workmen  to  cross. 
Lack  of  epace  will  riot  permit  the  telling  in 
detail  of  the  difficulties  under  which  the 
dams,  flumes  and  cribs  were  constructed, 
BO  as  to  btand  tho  winter  floods.  The  first 
built  were  entirely  washed  away,  and 
large  floods  impeded  progress  more  than 
once  during  their  construction.  The  big 
flume  is  over  4000  feet  long,  and  this 
added  to  the  great  canal  makes  two  miles 
of  river  bed  to  work.  The  bed  of  the  river 
is  covered  with  a  deep  deposit  of  slick- 
ens  and  gravnl  from  "twenty  to  forty  feet 
deep,  the  result  of  many  years  of  opera- 
tions, and  this  must  be  removed  and  tho 
bedrock  itself  scraped  clean,  for 
on  this  ground  has  been  found  the 
largest  quantity  of  gold  in  ail  river 
mines.  '  The  mines  ar«  situated  in  a  nar- 
row channel  between  high  and  precipitous 
hilb,  and  thers  is  no  place  to  move  the 
gravel  to.  So  it  has  been  necessary  to  dig 
down  into  the  bed  and  pile  the  gravel  on 
top  of  one  portion.  As  soon  as  this  exca- 
vation is  made  and  the  bedrock  on  the 
bottom  of  tho  river  cleaned  of  its  gold,  the 
great  aol«  thus  made  is  used  for  a  dump- 
ing ground  for  the  next  section,  and  it  is 
in  this  manner  that  the  mines  are  being 
worked.  Now  a  permanent  dam  is  being 


Twelve    years    ago 


Hill.    

Moore  Flat. 


In 
In 


1  Boston,  a 
this,  it  alar 


of 


|  built  at  the  head  of  the  Golden  Feather 
mine  which  will  last  for  many  years 
and  as  the  gigantic  canal  instead  of  a 
flume  will  be  used,  it  follows  that  work 
upon  the  min^  will  continue  for  a  series 
of  years.  Ouiy  conjectures  can  be  made 
in  regard  to  the  output  from  these  mines 
aa  tiie  amount  that  is  being  taken  from 
the  river  is  not  made  known  to  the  public 
nor  are  the  workmen  permitted  to  tell 
anything  about  the  buried  treasures  that 
are  now  being  removed.  The  gen-  directly  em  "loved  ™!?nfi?  *bout  40°  men 
eral  beuef,  however,  based  upon  indirect  support  to  ioleSTh1*  £>rect  a<><i 
well-known  facts,  in  regard  to  other  To  give  some  idea  of  the  iJ  °°  8Ouls' 

deposits    taken    from    this    river    in    the'tions  of  this  comnanv  it n°rm°li8  ^era- 
past,   and    from  some  remarks  inadvert-    that  three  larw    SfSI    *        y   be  8tatod 
antiy  made    by    some  of   the  workmen    structed  in  the  Sierr* 
i    that    large    quantities    of    gold     are    French   lake    th.   I  * 
being  taken  out.     The    celebrated    Cape 
claim   averaged   $500  per  linear  foot,  and 
at  that  rate  the  Golden  Gate   mine   would 
return    its    owners    $1,650,000.     It    is    be- 
lieved that  the   whole  section  of  the  two 
miles  of  river   bed  will  pay  well  to  work, 

and  the  company  is  building  a  timber  ,-— .  v«w  ieet  aitim-u 
,  and  rock  dam  that  will  last  for  twenty  or  was  ejCDenfled  in  th  -  About  HuO,000 
thirty  years.  The  solid  part  of  this  dare  Water  is  carneV  .Au  their  construction, 
will  be  140  feet  Ions  and  added  will  be  c  mines  from  forty  to  aeventy-nve  mn«, 
secondary  dam  160  feet  l«ng.  There  will  necessitating  the  construction  of  300  miles 
be  used  500,000  feet  of  timber  and  cf  ditches.  The  original  cost  of  the  corns 
planks,  and  it  will  require  the  exca-  pany's  entire  plant  was  $5,000,000,  all  of 
vation  of  2500  cubic  yards  of  grave  ]  which  amount  inaj  now  be  classed  as  idle 
and  about  6000  cubic  yards  ol  capita'. 

rock.  The  cost  ia  estimated  at  $25,000.  It  ha?  been  estimated  that  no  less  than 
The  great  canal  cost  about  $150]oool  $50,000.000  is  now  in  sight  in  these  mines, 
Major  McLaugblin,  the  projector  of  this,  and  this  enormous  wealth,  is  waiting  f< 


beea    con' 


. 


vast  enterprise,  of  which  only  the  barest 
outline  is  given,  ia  well  and  favorably 
known  in  San  Francisco  to  a  host  01 
friends  to  whom  he  has  endeared  himseL 
by  his  geniality,  liberality  and  eminently 
pleasing  social  qualities. 


AN 

Operation!    of  the     Knreka    Lake     and 

Tuba   Canal    Company. 

Probably  no   better  illustration  of  the 

disastrous  results   to   the  commercial  iu- 


terests  of  the    Pacific  coast  caused  by  a 


discontinuance     of     hydraulic 
could     be      had      than      from      a 
view      of      the       present       and 
conditions     and       oparations       of 


mining 
re- 


the word 
circulated 


hen   it   may    be  produced  and 
throughout    California.      The 


foregoing  points  regarding  this  property 
were  gained  from  Robert  McMurray,  tbe 
representative  of  the  company. 

Jn  conversation  with  him  he  also  gave 
many  facts  which  are  irit'erestine  in  this 
connection.  During  the  past  eleven  years 
it  haa  been  estimated  by  conservative  en- 
gineers, well  versed  in  hydraulic  mining, 
that  something  over  $10,000,000  a  year 
have  been  kept  buried  by  the  injunctions 
ou  hydraulic  mining,  thus  aggregating  as 
a  total  nearly  $120,090,000. 


A  careful  examination  of  the   damage 
cone    to    land    affected    by     the     debris 
showed  that  but  $3.000,000  actual   damage 
past  I  had  been  done.     This  is  too  broad  ashow- 
the   ing    to    need    comment.      Another    fact 


Eureka  Lake  and  Yuba  Canal  Company,  worth  mentioning  is  that  the  employes 
consolidated.  It  must  not  be  supposed*  in  hydraulic  mines  received  an  average 
however,  that  this  is  an  isolated  case.  On  compensation  of  $3  per  day,  whereas  in 
the  contrary,  the  same  will  "  ap-  contrast  to  this,  it  ia  a  notorious  .fact  that 
ply  to  every  hydraulic  mining  dis-  i  the  laboring  element  throughout  the  in- 


tnct  in  tbe  Siate  of  Calitornia  which  has 
be«n  affected  by  the  injunctions  placed 
upon  this  character  ol  mining.  The 
casual  observer  cannot  fail  to  realize  that 
immense  amounts  of  money  have  been 
expended  in  improvements,  machinery, 
etc.,  all  of  which  is  now  lying  idle, 
bringing  no  interest  on  the  capital  in- 


terior  of  the   State 
ing    from    $10     to 


work   for  wages  rang- 
$30    per    month    and 

board.  Mr'  McMurray's  labors  in  "Wash- 
ington in  the  interests  of  the  present  bill 
before  the  House  have  been  invaluable 
and  much  of  the  change  in  sentiment 
toward  the  resumption  of  hydraulic  rain- 

^      ins  must  be  ascribed  to  his  efforts.  Should, 

vested,  and   the  value  of  which   improve-    the  bill  pass  he   is   certainly  deserving  of 
ments  and  machinery  is  steadily  decreas-  ithe  thanks  of  the  community. 

ing  by  disuse.    This  illustration  is  given  • •» 

so    as    to    show    a    specific   case,    and    it  A    RICH    MINERAL    KELT. 

must  be  remembered   that   all  other  cases 

are    similar.     The   property  of  this  com-  Tll(8    Dutch    Flat    and    Gold   Run    DIs- 
pany  comprises  3500  acres  of   rninina  land  trlcts,  Placer  County, 

for  which  it  holds  United  States  patents,  j     The  Dutch    Flat  and  Gold  Run  mining 

I  districts   are   situated  on  the  line  of  the 


Central  Pacific  Railroad.  A  few  years  ago 
they  were  two  of  the  most  flourishing 
hydraulic  mining  regions  in  the  State. 
The  mines  are  all  idle,  haying  been 
stopped  by  the  anti-debris  injunction. 
The  once  populous  towns  bearing  their 
names  are  almost  deserted,  andl  the  few 
miners  remaining  eke  out  an  existence  by 
crevicing  and  cleaning  bedrock  in  the  old 
hydraulic  pits. 

These  districts  cover  an  immense  an- 
cient river  channel,  filled  with  a  deposit 
of  auriferous  gravel  to  a  depth  of  about 
300  feet,  the  deposit  between  veins  being 
about  one-third  of  a  mile  wide.  In  places 
the  top  gravel  was  worked  in  two  benches, 
one  of  about  100  feet  and  one  of  titty  feet, 
leaving  the  bottom  or  blue  gravel  remain- 
ing. This  bottom  gravel  is  known  to  be 
very  rich,  as  it  has  been  opened  by  a  long 
and  expensive  bedrock  tunnel,  and 
worked  sufficiently  to  prove  its  richness. 
The  amount  of  gold  produced  by  working 
the  top  "gravel  has  bean  over  $40,000,000. 
This  record  of  the  product  has  been 
taken  from  true  and  reliable  sources,  and 
the  remaining  bottom  gravel  would  pro- 
duce much  more,  as  the  gravel  is  known 
to  ba  much  richer.  The  gravel  worked  is 
about  double  the  amount  remaining;  the 
channel  lias  narrowed  down  to  a  width  of 
about  700  feet,  the  material  being  much 
heavier  thitn  the  gravel  that  has  been 
washed  away.  If  dams  were  allowed  to 
be  built  in  the  canyons  below  there  could 
be  immense  quantitiei  of  gold  produced. 
In  referring  to  the  hydraulic  district 
adjoining  Dutch  Flat  the  story  would  bs> 
incomplete  without  reference  to  D. 
Munro,  the  pushing  young  business  man. 
He  is  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise 
business,  having  settled  in  the  community 
a£put  six  years  ago.  Although  compe- 
tition was  close  at  the  time  and  many 
1  large  concerns  were  carrying  on  business, 
Mr.  Munro,  by  demonstrating  to  the  satis- 
faction of  all  that  he  had  come  to  do  a 
square  business  and  was  there  to  stay, 
eslphi;,,i — i  „  Hn'onfiss  which  has  since 


grown  to  be  one  of  the  most  popular  and 
best-known  institutions  in  the  county. 
Mr.  Mnnro  is  a  public-spirited  man,  every 
measure  deserving  the  support  of  the 
community  being  earnestly  co-operated 
by  him. 

Nichols  Brothers,  the  pioneer  bankers  of 
the  county,    have   lived  in  Dutch  Flat  for 
nearly  twenty-seven  years,  and  during  that 
time  have  handled  most  of  the  gold  taken 
from  the  hydr-ulic  mines  of  that  vicinity. 
They  have  always  conducted  a  careful  and 
conservative  business  and  have  the  entire 
confidence  of  the  community.     No  min'er, 
no   matter    how    ignorant  he  might  have 
been    regarding    the    value  of  gold  dust,  ! 
fall  a  particle  of  insecurity  in    trusting  to  , 
Nicholi   Brothers  for    square    treatment. 
Th«  fiim  have  amassnd  a  considerable  for-  i 
tune  in  the  business   and  are   among  the  j 
most  prominent  men  in  the  county. 
«. 

WHITTIKK,  FULLER  A  CO. 

The  Leading  Oil  and  White   Lead   Con- 
cern on  the  Coast. 

What  constitutes  a  solid  foundation  for 
the  prosperity  of   a  State?    Its  manufac-  | 
ture«.     When    will   California  be  able  to  ' 
maintain  itsolf  against   Eastern    coinpeti-  i 
tion?     When  she  produces   the   manufac-  j 
tared    article!     needed     by    her    people.  , 
Therefore,  her   true   benefactors  are  those 
willing  to  risk  their  capital   and   energies 
in  developing  her  resources   and  increas- 
ing   her  manufactures.     Pre-eminent    in 
this  regard  is  the  great  house  of  Whittier, 
Fuller  <fc  Co.,  trie  pioneer  manufacturers 
oti  this  coast  in    the   paint   and    oil   line. 
Their  Pioneer  White  Lead   is   the  whitest 
and  finest  ground,  and  has  greater   cover- 
ing properties  than  any  other    made.     By 
its  manufacture  the  output   of  our  mines 
is  used  at  home,  thus  saving  costly  freight 
charges,  and  hundreds  of  miners  are  kept 
busy  extracting  the  ores. 

What  most  improves  the  appearance  of 
a  house  and  preserves  it  from  rlimatic 
changes?  A  good  coat  of  paint.  What  is 


the  best  paint  to  use?  Whittier,  Fuller 
&  Go's  Puro  Prepared  Paint.  It  is  un- 
doubtedly the  highest  grade  of  mixed 
paint  m  tde.  It  is  composed  of  Pioneer 
white  lead,  pare  oxide  of  zinc  and  lin- 
seed oil.  Containing  no  adulteration,  it 
is  welcomed  by  first-class  painters  desir- 
ing to  do  superior  work.  Being  ready 
mixed,  any  one  can  apply  it. 

What  is  the  safest  illuminating  oil? 
Extra  Star  Kerosene.  Why?  Because  it 
is  made  from  the  finest  crude  oil  yet  dis- 
covered, it  is  guaranteed  150  degrees  fire 
test  and  49  degrees  gravity,  combining 
the  highest  illuminating  power  with  the 
greatest  safety.  Any  one  trying  this  oil 
will  use  no  other.  Whittier,  Fuller  &  Co. 
are  sole  agents. 

This  firm  manufactures  high-grade 
lubricating  oils,  greases,  etc.,  especially 
adapted  for  mining  purposes;  also  a  full 
line  of  harness  and  carriage  oils.  In  the 
manufacture  of  their  products  they  use 
only  the  finest  quality  of  Pennsylvania 
premium  oils. 

They  make  the  well-known  brands: 
Red  Star  Cylinder  Oil,  Star  Cylinder  Oil, 
Star  Dynamo  Oil,  Star  Engine  Oil,  Red 
Star  Lubricating  Grease,  Universal  Axle 
Grease  and  Red  Star  Harness  OiJ.  These 
oils  are  especially  adapted  to  milling  and 
mining  machinery,  and  give  universal 
satisfaction  wherever  used. 

BBLBY     SMELTING     WORKS. 

The  Leading  Establishment  of  the  Kind 

on  the  Coast. 

The  Belby  Smelting  and  Lead  Com- 
pany of  California,  which  was  first  started 
in  1865  by  Thomas  H.  Selby,  has  now 
grown  to  such  magnitude  that  it  is  a 


well-known  institution  all  over  the 
United  States.  The  works  were  origi- 
nally located  at  North  Beach,  but  being 
too  small  to  handle  the  increasing  busi- 
ness of  the  concern  a  forty -acre  tract  was 
purchased  at  Vallejo  Junction,  and  in 
1885  operations  were  commenced  in 
the  new  works.  Ore  is  purchaaed  in 

any  quantity      and     worked      at     mod- 
j  erate     charges.      Especially      good    facil- 
1  ities       are     offered     for     the     treatment 
!  of      high-grade,     rebellious       gold      ores 
which  cannot  bo    successfully  treated  by 
milling.     The  institution  is  complete   in 
every  detail  and  is  considered  one   ot   the 
finest  in  the  world. 

An  adjunct  of  the  works  which  is  no- 
ticed by  every  visitor  to  San  Francisco  is 
the  shot  tower  and  lead  works  on  the  cor- 
ner of  First  and  Howard  streets.  At 
these  works  a  specialty  is  made  of  lead 
pipe,  sheet  lead,  shot,  solder  for  plumbers 
and  canners,  and  also  for  roofing  and  fino 
tin  worir.  .A  feature  is  also  m  ide  of  lead 
;  traps.  Another  important  branch  of  the 
business  is  the  manufacture  of  the  stand- 
ard machine-loaded  cartridges,  Chamber- 
lin  paient.  About  100,000  cartridges  are 
turned  out  per  day,  in  the  manufacture  of 
which  three  kinds  of  smokeless  powder 
are  used,  namely,  Schuirze,  E.  C.,  and 
Wood  powder,  besides  black  powder.  The 
head  offices  of  the  company  are  located 
at  416  Montgomery  street,  Sari>  Francisco. 
The  officers  of  tne  company  are  A.  J. 
Ralston,  president,  and  H.  B.  Undar- 
hill  Jr.,  secretary. 

VIRGINIA     CITY. 

The   Center    of  Nevada's  Great    Mining 
Interests. 


THE    SELBY    SMELTING    WORKS 


Correspondence  of  the  CHRO>JICI,H. 

VIBGINIA  (Nev.),  May  23.— The  vlevr 
from  Virginia  City  to  the  eastward  Is  re- 
markably fine.  The  eye  can  sweep  in  a 
vista  of  180  miles  in  some  directions.  To 
the  southeast  are  the  Pineuut  mountains 


question.  Ot  course,  f  some  combi- 
nation could  be  effected  hereby  the  votes 
of  the  silver  States  would  cut  a  prominent 
figure  a  graat  deal  of  good  would  certainly 
result.  Beiore  this  is  done,  however,  the 
silver  States  must  have  some  kind  ot  a 
will  work  to- 


WherQ    they 
Mr.  Gorham    of   Gold    Hill    held  very 


abour,  Como.     The  Twenty -iix-mile  desert 

and  the  Forty -mile  desert  are  also  plainly 

perceptible   from   C   street    looking    east-    similar  views,  and  ssated  that  it  was  his 

ward.     Far    to    the    right    of    the    Como  |  opinion  that  a  great  field  was   waiting  for 

mountains  are  the  snow-capped  summits    a  good   organizer  who  could   consolidate 

of  the  Sierra  Nevada.     As  regards  scenery  '  tuo  interests  01  the  silver  States.     "We  all 

Virginia  City  has   much   to   boast  of,  al-    ^p^g^off    o'f  The    pSco'^Tilver" 

though  its  immediate  environs  aro   deso-    thousands    of   men     have     been   thrown 

late  in  the  extreme.     It  is  a  city  built  on  j  out  of  employment  by  the  inability  of  the 

a    mountain  side.     In    the  winter,   when    mine  owners   to    work   their    mines  at   a 

this  happens   to  be  covered  with  snow.I  .profit.    With  silver    at   its  old  price  the 

the  view  though  cheerless  is   notwithont, 

interest.     The  atmosphere  is  so  clear  that 

trees  can  be  distinguised  at  a  distancs   of  ' 

thirty  miles  or  more.    Virginia  City  hai  an 

elevation  of  6205  feet  and  above  the  Hum-'l 

boldt    plains    about    20JO    feet.       Mount ,; 

Davidson  rises  above   the   city   1622  feet,   j 

having  a  total   height   above   t'ae   sea   of  ^ 

7827    feet.     Some  of   the  Pinenut  moan- 


tains  in  the  same  range  are   still    higher. 


13  too  plain  to  need  comment  on.' 
D.  B.  Lymau,  superintendent  ol  the 
Consolidated  Virginia,  was  of  the  opinion 
that  the  pressure  now  being  brought  to 
bear  upon  Congress  would  soon  have  a 
good  result.  The  difficulty  has  been 
heretofore  that  but  lew  people  realized 
the  enormous  extent  of  the  interest 
which  is  now  suffering.  The  goldbu^s 
have  never  yet  been  able  to  reUite  the 
Arguments  of  the  silver  men,  and  the 
people  ot  the  United  States  are  at  last 


In  1859  Virginia  City  had  out  two  or  three     begfnnina  to  see  that  we  have  the  right 
houses,  and  these  were   si.one   cabins.     A    on  our  side. 

Mr.    Koating,     superintendent    of     the 


houses, 

year  later  the  place  had  quite  a  metro- 
politan appearance.  Virginia  City  is  to- 
day the  largest  city  in  the  State  of 
Nevada  and  tne  center  of  its  business  and 
commercial  interests. 

The  residents  or'  the  place  are  very 
pronounced  in  their  views  on  the  present 
status  of  the  silver  question.  VV.  B. 
Sharon,  superintendent  of  the  Yellow 
Jacket  Mining  Company,  stated,  in  con  • 
yersatiori  wita  a  CHRONICLE  reporter,  that 
if  an  iucresise  in  the  price  of  silver  was 
not  soon  made  it  would  result  in  the  clos- 
ing down  of  a  majority  of  the  mines  in 
Nevada.  "Take,  lor  instance,  ourselves," 
said  he;  "it  is  really  a  toss  up  whether 
we  keep  running  or  not.  For  aome  time 
past  the  mine  has  been  kept  running 
with  the  hope  that  something  would 
s  on  be  done  or  some  move  made 
whereby  a  rise  in  the  price  of  sil- 
uer  would  be  effected.  The  cost  ot  pro- 
duction is  so  great  that  unless  the  ore  is 
oi  remarkably  high  grade  it  does  not  pay 
to  operate  it.  The  people  of  this  State, 
as  well  as  in  the  other  silver-producing 
countries,  have  at  L.st  awakened  to  the 
fact  that  they  will  have  to  help  them- 
selves and  the  formation  of  silver  clubs 
!  has  been  the  result.  I  think  that  if  all 
the  different  clubs  of  the  silver  producing 
districts  would  combine  and  work  in 
harmony  that  much  better  results  would 
come  from  their  efforts.  The  peo- 
ple who  are  directly  and  indirectly 
interested  in  the  silver  question  are 
now  ready 
relief.  As 


Best  &  Belcher,  is  one  of  the  most  con- 
vincing talkers  in  the  State  on  the 
subject.  He  has  been  engaged  in  mining 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  has  made  a 
close  study  of  me  silver  question.  He  is 
one  of  the  most  enthusiastic  and  hardest 
workers  in  the  cause,  and  is  one  of  iho 
leaders  among  the  silver  men  of  the  com- 
munity. He  believes  that  the  influence 
of  the  silver  States  will  cut  u  considerable 
figure  in  the  coming  national  election, 
and  that  if  the  representatives  are  firm 
enough  they  can  secure  the  desired  recog- 
nition. 

Archibald  McDonell,  the  most  promi- 
nent mining  broker  in  the  State  of  Ne- 
vada, is  a  hard  worker  in  the  cause 
of  free  silver.  For  many  years  he  has 
lived  in  Virginia  City,  being  connected 
with  the  mining  interests  first  as  supeiiu- 
tendent  and  afterward  as  a  mining 
broker.  He  is  a  remarkably  well-posted 
man  on  the  subject  and  is  a  strong  and 
convincing  talker.  He  thinks  that  silver 
will  be  brought  back  to  its  old  standard 
after  the  coining  election  and  thot  the 
present  agitation  will  be  of  great  value  in 
the  fight.  » 

Messrs.  Eckley  and  Wilds,  the  repre- 
sentatives  of  th*  banking  institutions  of 
Virginia  City,  are  also  hard  workers  in 
the  cause.  They  have  materially  assisted 
at  the  formation  of  the  silver  clubs  and  are 
now  looking  forward  to  a  combination  of 
the  silver- producing 


ail     the    clubs    in 

to    make    any   move   to   get  :  countries.     Both  gentlemen   are  go-ahead, 
far    as     bringing    the     issue    pushing    business    men    and     are     very 


into     politics     and    making    a      straight 
political    issue   of    it,     the    result    is      a 


popular  in  the  community. 


MINKS     ANO     MINING. 

There  is  an   impression  preralent  out- 
side of  California,  created  in  part  at  least 
by  the  people  and  press  of  the  State,  that 
mining  for  the  precious  metals,  and  par- 
ticularly   gold,  is    a  played-out  industry 
here.      This    impression    has    arisen,    no 
doubt,  from  the  phenomenal  prominence 
to    which    agriculture    and     horticulture  | 
have  attained  in  California,  and  from  the  i 
fact  that  the  products  of    the    surface  of  | 
the  soil  have  attained  more  recent  renown 
than  the  treasures  which  lie  buried  under- 
ground. 

It  would  be  idle  to  attempt  here  even   a  v 
review  of  the  history  of  the   discovery  of 
gold  in  California,   for  it  has  become  an 
integral  part  of  the  history  of  the  world,  ^ 
taking  rank  almost  with  the  discovery  of  | 
America     or    the    Norman    conquest    of  }:; 
England.     It  is  enough  to    say    that  all  i 
publicist!  agree  that  no    event    recorded 
within  the  limits  of  authentic  history  has 
exerted  a  more  powerful  influence  upon 
the  economic  condition  of  the    civilized 
world  than  the  finding  of  a  few  flakes  of 
yellow  metal  by  James  Marshall,   a  dis- 
covery, by  the  way,  which  was  almost  if 
not  wholly  an  accident.     Great  wars  have 
changed  frontiers,  great  waves  of  emigra- 
tion have  altered  the  social  and  political 
status  of  nations,  great  epochs  of  good  or 
bad  fortune  have  exerted  a   powerful    in- 
fluence upon  the  destinies  of   millions,  : 
and  great   men    have  left  their  impress 
upon  their  native  lands  for  ages  and  gen-  [ 
orations,  but  none  of  these  nor    ail    com- 
bined  have  been  BO  far-reaching  or  endur-  l 
ing  in  their  results    as    the   discovery  of  i 
gold  in  California. 

Han,  that  is,  civilized  man,  might  well 
be  defined  as  a  money-using  animal.     No 
other  animal,    no  matter  how  high  in  the 
scale  of  instinct  or  intelligence,    has  ever 
thought  out  a  scheme  by  which  a  medium 
or    media   of   exchanges   might  be   con-  ^ 
structed   and  agreed  upon  through  which  s 
the  infinite  complications  of  barter  might 
be  simplified  and  reduced  to  their  lowest 
terms.    To  measure  all  things  of  value  by  i 
a  definite    and    fixed    standard    so  that 
every  article  which  every  one  wants  may  ] 
be  set  against  a  quantity  or  amount  of  one 
or  two  specified  things  is  a  feat  beyond 
the  intelligence  of  any  animal  but  man 
and  bespeaks  his  superiority  more  con- 
clusively than  the  discovery   of  fire,    the 
development  of  articulate   speech  or  the 
use  of  tools.    The  material  prosperity  and 
the  substantial  progress  of  a  nation  are  in 
direct    and  ascertainable  proportion  not  j 
only  to  its  use  of  money,  but  to  the  stock  | 

1 


of  money  which  It  has  under  its  control 
available  for  proper  and  neceasa  ry  uses. 

A  consideration  of  these  truisms  will 
impress  upon  the  reader  the  real  meaning 
and  effect  of  the  discovery  of  an  admit- 
tedly precious  metal  in  quantity  in  Cali- 
fornia. The  history  of  1849  is  the  history 
of  an  impetus  in  every  direction  the 
world  over,  for  gold  is  like  money,  it  will 
not  remain  stationary,  but  spreads  and 
runs  and  permeates  every  country  and 
nation  like  a  universal  deluge.  No  one 
who  is  in  the  slightest  degree  conversant 
with  the  world's  history  in  the  nineteenth 
century  can  have  failed  to  recognize  this 
important  fact. 

But  1849  was  a  good  while  ago,  and 
the  present  and  future  of  the  mining 
industry  in  California  is  of  more  inter- 
est than  the  past,  glorious  and  marvel- 
ous as  it  may  have  been.  It  is  a  matter 
of  no  difficulty  to  show,  from  perfectly 
authentic  sources,  that  gold  mining  in 
California  is  still  an  active,  wide-awake, 
lucrative  industry,  and  that  if,  as  the 
probabilities  now  are,  Congress  shall  per- 
mit the  rehabilitation  of  hydraulic  min- 
ing, the  industry  will  speedily  resume  its 
old-time  rank,  and  a  generous  rivalry  en- 
sue between  the  golden  grain  and  the  gol- 
den ore. 

The  report  of  the  Director  of  the  United 
States  Mint  for  1891  estimates  the  total 
product  of  gold  in  the  United  States  for 
1890  at  $32,845,000.  Of  this  amount  Cali- 
fornia's output  of  gold  is  given  at  $12,- 
500,000.  The  next  in  rank  of  gold-produc- 
ing States  are  Colorado,  with  $4,150,000; 
Montana,  with  $3,800,000;  Dakota,  with 
$3,200,000,  and  Nevada,  with  $2,800,000. 
California  is  thus  credited  with  nearly  39 
per  cent  of  all  the  gold  produced  in  the 
United  States,  which  is  certainly  a  good 
showing  for  an  industry  not  uncommonly 
believed  to  have  become  valueless.  This 
output  of  gold  makes  no  stir  or  commo- 
tion because  it  is  so  largely  the  result  of 
unpretentious  and  individual  labor.  Pri- 
vate owners  of  mines  work  away,  month 
after  month,  with  as  little  parade  as 
though  they  were  farming  or  woodchop- 
ping,  but  at  the  end  of  the  year  they  have 
added  $12,500,000,  or  over  a  million  dollars 
a  month,  to  the  world's  stock  of  gold. 

And  this  is  only  one  phase  of  the  situa- 
tion. The  -  report  of  a  commission  of 
United  States  engineers  sent  out  here  to 
look  into  the  feasibility  of  reviving  hy- 
draulic miking  without  detriment  to  the 
navigable  rivers  and  to  the  farming  and 
orchard  lands  of  the  State  asserted  that 
by  a  conservative  estimate  the  annual 

1 


yield  of  gold   under   hydraulic    mining 
would  be  $10,000,000,  and  the  report  made 
no  attempt  to  fix  a  limit  to  the  time  dur- 
ing which  this  output  might  be  expected 
to  continue.     The  reason  for  this  absten- 
tion is  very  plain.     When  our  visitors  go 
to  Dutch  Flat  next  Saturday  to  ba  shown 
what  hydraulic  mining  really  is  they  will 
be  taken  into  the  bed    or    channel  of  an 
ancient  river  which  has  been  excavated  to, 
say,  a  depth  of  one  hundred  feet  or  there- 
abouts below  the    normal    surface  of  tha 
ground,  and  they  will  be   told  that  below 
the  level  reached  by  the  hydraulic  pro- 
cess a  shaft  has    been    sunk  vertically  for 
some  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  that 
all  the  way  down  the  ground    ia   aurifer- 
ous, carrying  gold  in   quantity  sufficient 
to  make    it    pay  for  working   by  the  hy- 
draulic process.     With  such,  a  showing  as 
that   it  would    be    a   rash    engineer  who 
would  venture  to  put  a  time  limit  on  the 
output  of  gold  from  the  old  river  channels. 
When   we  consider  that  the  Director  of 
the  Mint  estimates   the  world's  output  of 
gold   for  1890  at  only  $116,009,000,  it  re- 
quires no  argument  to  show  the  worth  of 
an   annual  increment  of  $10,000,000  for  a 
series  of  years.     We  feel  certain   that  if 
Congress  could  grasp  this  statement  and 
appreciate  it  at  its  real  value  there  would 
not   be  a  moment's  hesitation   about   the 
passage  of    the    hydraulic    mining    bill, 
more  especially  as  by   the  terms  of  the 
bill  the  amount  to  be   expended  by  the 
Government  in  aid  of  this    industry    ia 
only  about  $1,500,000,  to  be  spread   over 
eight  years,  and  this  is  to  be  more  than 
repaid  by  an  annual  tax  of  three  per  cent 
on  the  gross  output  of  all  the  mines  which 
shall   avail   themselves  of  the  hydraulic 
appliances  supplied    by  the  Government 
under  the  direction  of  the   Secretary  of 

The  present  issue  of  the  CHRONICLE 
presents  the  whole  situation  in  a  forcible 
and  striking  manner.  Every  effort  has 
been  made  to  give  a  full  and  impartial 
statement  of  the  condition  of  the  mining 
industry  in  California  and  on  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  we  commend  it  to  our  readers, 
i  particularly  to  our  visiiors  from  the 
East,  as  a  compendium  oi  iuionuuUoa  cm 
n.  subject  which  cannot  fail  to  interest. 
We  feel  that  California  is  entitled  to  be 
set  right  before  the  world  as  to  the  status 
of  her  mining  industry,  and  we  bespeafc 
the  aid  of  our  visitors  to  assist  us  rn  what 
is  certainly  a  laudable  endeavor. 


RIlTTff  PITV 
DUtlfi  till, 


P 

01 


Camps. 


T, 
-ItS 


n  xt. 

(jrOWtll 

HictiVPV 
HlolUl  J. 


From  Placer  Mines  to  the  Largest 

Bullion  Producers  in  the 

World. 


Correspondence  of  the  OHKONICLB. 

J     BUTTE     (Mont.),    May    18,     1892.— The 

jhistory  of  this  place  is  full  of  interest,  no 
less  to  those  who  made  that  history  than 
to  those  who  are  fond  of  the  romance  of 

;  those  "early  days,"  so  dear  to  the  heart  of 
the  pioneer. 

The  first  discovery  of  placer  gold  on 
Silver  Bow  creek  was  made  in  October, 
1864,  between  what  is  now  the  old  town  of 
Silver  Bow  and  Silver  Bow  Junction.  The 
discoverers,  according  to  Judge  Irvine 
and  other  old-timers,  were  Frank  Ruff, 
Bud  Barker,  Pete  McMahon  and  three 
others.  The  locality  was  on  the  creek 
just  at  its  bend,  about  half  way  between 
the  two  places  mentioned.  Their  manner 
of  working  was  subject  to  much  incon- 
venience, owing  to  the  water  being  too 
abundant  in  their  excavations  and 
too  scarce  in  their  sluice  boxes. 
However,  they  obviated  this  difficulty 
by  keeping  their  works  free  of  water  by 
the  use  of  a  China  pump,  the  discharge 
being  into  the  sluice  boxes,  into  which 
the  dirt  was  shoveled  direct.  Notwith- 
standing all  this  their  diggings  paid  well. 
The  same  fall  gold  wa»  also  discovered  at 
what  is  now  Butte.  The  discovery  was 
made  a  short  distance  below  our  present 
Park  street  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Arizona 
street.  W.  L.  Farlin  says  the  discovery 
was  made  by  a  man  named  Snyder,  and 
that  he  sold  him  the  lumber  witn  which 
to  construct  sluice  boxes. 
All  the  first  placer  mining  at  Butte  was 

;  done  on  the  short  gulchea  or  ravines  at 
the  base  of  the  "hill"  and  west  of  it,  and 
the  dirt  all  had  to  be  hauled  to  water, 

"but  it  was  rich  and  would  stand  it.  Later 
on  ditches  were  brought  in,  but  even  they 


were  too  low  on  the  hillside  lor  many  of 
the  claims,  and  from  these  the  dirt  was 
stiJl  hauled  either  to  tha  creek  or  to  the 
ditches. 

Following  these  original  discoveries  at 
Silver  Bow  ana  Butte  came  discoveries 
all  along  the  creek  between  the  two  places. 
Then  came  a  time  of  activity  of  which  it 
is  difficult  to  give  any  delinite  idea.  The 
present  mining  district  was  organized 
with  William  Allison  for  president  and  G. 
O.  Humphreys  lor  recorder,  they  being 
the  pioneers  of  the  camp.  Summit 
Mountain  district  was  formed  later  in  the 
fall  with  W.  R.  Coggswell  as  recorder,  and 
when  in  a  few  months  there  got  to  be  too 
mucn  business  for  one  set  of  officers  to 
attend  to,  the  district  was  divided  and  In- 
dependence district  created. 

Silver  Bow  town,  seven  miles  below 
Butte,  took  the  lead  by  reason  of  the 
greater  importance  of  its  placer  mines  at 
that  time,  and  soon  oecame  so  much  of  a 
town  that  it  was  made  the  county  seat. 
The  present  county  of  Silver  Bow  was 
then  a  part  of  Deer  Lodge  county.  The 
following  year  (1865)  tne  county-seat  ques- 
tion was  settled  by  a  popular  vote,  and 
the  county  officers  bundled  up  their  books 
and  removed  to  Deer  Lodge  City.  One 
would  scarcely  suppose  from  the  "present 
appearance  of  the  old  town  of  Silver  Bo\v 
that  it  was  once  a  place  of  over  1000 
people,  yet  such  was  the  case,  and  even 
Kocker  was  a  booming  town  in  those  days. 
Butte  was  the  most  backward  otthe  three. 
However,  time  has  recompensed  Butte 
lor  her  halting  start  by  awarding  her  a 
wonderful  maturity. 

What  is  now  spoken  of  as  the  old  town 
of  Butte  was  started  in  the  fall  of  1864. 
The  first  houses  (there  were  two  of  them) 
were  of  logs,  and  were  built  one  by  Ford 
and  Dresser  and  the  other  by  Humphreys 
and  Allison.  Tney  were  located  at  the 
fork  ot  Town  gulch  (our  present  Dublin 
gulch)  at  about  the  point  where  the  road 
to  the  Anaconda  mine  crosses  it.  A  con- 
siderable town  soon  grew  up  around  them. 
The  Ford  mentioned  was  the  well- 
known  late  Dr.  Anson  Ford,  Butte's 
iirst  Postmaster  and  one  of  her 
most  enterprising  citizens  for  a 
number  of  years.  The  old  town,  of  course, 
was  practically  all  log  houses  and  not  at 
all  pretentious  ones  either.  Many  of  them 
are  still  standing,  lor  when  it  came  to 
building  a  permanent  city  the  smoother 
ground  further  down  and  west  of  the 
gulch  was  chosen,  and  so  there  was  little 
occasion  for  tearing  down  the  first  log 
buildings.  But  Butte  stood  in  that  shel- 
tered nook  untill  1866,  when  building  was 
commenced  upon  our  present  M  tin  street. 
However,  it  was  not  in  the  nature  of  a 
building  boom,  for  Butte  even  in  1875  was 
still  an  unpretentious  place. 

By  the  spring  ot  1867  placer  mining  was 
at  its  height,  and  gold  was  being  taken 
out  of  the  gulches  and  bars  all  the  way 
from  the  base  of  the  lulls  in  Butte  to  be- 


low Sliver   Bow.     Butte  was  now  a  boom- 
ing camp,  with  a  population  estimated  at 
2000  or  300U  men,  and   there  were  5000  on 
the     creek.        Money     was     plenty     and 
,    methods  of  getting  rid  of  it  numerous. 
»•      All    kinds    of  business   flourished,  and 
,r  active  as  was  the  offort  for  gold,  it -seemed 
none  the    less    active  to  spend  it.     There 
•}  was  a  strong  stampede   to   these  diggings, 
and  any  one  who    has    ever  seen  a  boom- 
,;  ing  Montana    mining  camp    will    re.uiiiv 
appreciate    the    fact    that  the  times  were 
;  lively,  money  plenty  and  its    expenditure 
lavish.     As    stated    above,  placer  mining 
1  extended  from  Butte  to  below  Silver  Bow, 
all  ol  Silver  Bow   creek  for   that  distance 
(  being  taken  up    with   placer   claims,  each  : 
extending  200  feet  up  and  down  the  croek  ! 
">  and  reaching  from  rimrock  to  rimrock. 

The  interest  in    placer   mining  did  not 
:  wane  until  1869,  when,  partly  on    account 
of  a  scarcity  oi  water  and    partly    because 
clthe    richest    mines    were    becoming     ex- 
hausted and  little  in  the  way  of  new  dia- 
•'coveriea  being  made,  there    began  a-grad- 
ual  falling  off   in    the    excitement,   naw- 
c Comers  were  fewer  and  the   out-going  tide 
-much  greater.     But  the  camp  had  already 
produced  about  $8,000,000  in   gold,    and   if 
.  it  had  stppped.right  there  it   would   have 
"'been   Safe  for  a  place  in   history  as   one  of 
j  the  bonanza  localities   of  the  'West.     But 
enough  had  already  been   done   in    show- 
sing    the    existence  of   rich    quartz  mines 
here    to    render    it   unlikely    the  district 
j  would    be     suffered    to    relapse    into  Its 
'original   condition   afier  the  placer  mines 
were    apparently    dug    out   without  first 
thoroughly  demonstrating  whether  or  not 
-)tne  ricn  suriace  showing  of  quartz  already 
:  made  would   hold    out  with  development. 
1 1  Of  course,   nobody   dreamed  of  one-hun- 
dredth of  the  truth.     Only  two  lodes  were 
;[known  of  at  the  time,  the  Original  and  tne 
Black  Chief,  with  one  or  two  claims  outside 
of  these.     These  were  supposed  to  be  the 
"feeders  of  the  placer  mines,  and  there  was 
•no   thought  that  the  Dare  Hills  surra  unfl- 
iner    Butte    in    her    nestling    place    were 
packed  with   the  greatest  stores  of  wealth 
the  world  had  ever,  known  in  so  small  a 
compass. 

This  was  not  a  lively  section   from   1869  ' 
to  1874-75.      The  quartz  naines,  for  lack   of  j 
development,  did  not  yet  amount  to  much,  : 
although  in  two  or   three  cases  ore  of  un-  • 
usu.il  richness  had  been  produced.      But  • 
very  lew  had  any    faith  in    their    perma- 
nency, tor  at  that    time  scarcely   a  quartz 
mine  in  Montana  had  been  found  to  stand 
development. 

The  period  of  quartz  development  began 
in  1874,  when  Butte  had  dwindled*  almost 
to  nothingness.  But  by  1880  the  f-w  hun- 
dreds who  had  remained  here  during  the 
dull  days  found  themselves  a  part  of  the 
liveliest  young  city  of  5000  in  the  world. 
The  prosperity  of  the  placer  mining  days 
Jhad  returned  with  increased  activity,  and 
this  time  it  came  to  stay.  The  new  city 

.*.— f 


I 


BUTTB    CITY    IN    1877. 


of  Butte  had  drawn  away  from  the  site  of 
the  old  town  in  Town  (Dublin) 
gulch  in  1875  and  builded  itseit 
on  an  eminence  where  a  lonp  and 
active  business  street  stretched  up  and 
down  the  mountain  side,  while  the  gentle 
iescent  to  the  east  and  the  west  became 
•loseiy  built  up  with  comfort  ible  dwell- 
ngs,  tenanted  by  a  prosperous  people  en- 
gaged either  in  the  chief  vocation,  mining, 
or  one  of  the  resultant  lines  of  business. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  follow  the  city's 
growth  from  that  time  to  this  in  detail. 
It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  in  the  twelve 
years  that  have  passed  the  then  popula- 
tion of  5000  has  been  increased  to  30,000. 

In  addition  to  her  population  of  30,000 
her  substantial  business  blocks,  her  num- 
erous handsome  houses,  her  immense 
volume  of  business,  her  churches,  schools 
and  the  other  advantages  told  of  above, 
the  city  is  well  supplied  with  water,  and 
the  supply  will  be  quadrupled  within  a 
year.  It  has  two  electric  light  companies, 
a  gas  company,  a  perfect,  sewer  system, 
three  lines  of  street  railway — motor,  cable 
and  electric — two  daily  newspapers  and  a 
semi-weekly,  two  telegraph  lines,  four 
railroad  lines  and  more  coming,  a  tele- 
phone system  which  does  not  call  forth 
more  than  the  usual  amount  of  kicking, 
two  messenger  service  companies,  six 
banks,  two  tire  companies,  electric  fire 
alarm  system,  and,  in  short,  all  public  con- 
veniences usually  to  be  found  in  a 
bustling,  wideawake,  modern  city.  Butte 
has  never  paid  much  attention  to  growing 
until  within  the  past  year,  and  now  that 
she  has  commenced  in  earnest  there  will 
be  no  let  up  until  her  population  reaches 
the  figure  which  the  importance  of  her 
mining  interests  will  justify,  and  that  is 
something  near  the  100,000  mark.  There 
are  now  employed  in  and  around  the 
mines  of  Butte  but  little  abort  of  10,000 
men,  and  at  the  rate  new  mines  are  being 
opened  there  will  be  20,000  men  at  worfc 


here  inside  of  the  next  two  years,  justify- 
ing the  population  named  above.  It  is  a 
good  place  in  which  to  locate  in  business, 
and  there  is  no  limit  to  the  opportunity 
for  profitable  investment  in  either  realty 
or  in  mining. 

Some  of  the  more  prominent  minti  that 
have  contributed  to  the  growth  of  Butte 
are  worthy  of  especial  mention. 

The  great  producers  of  Butte.  the  ten 
companies  to  which  almost  the  total 
mineral  product  of  the  camp  is  to  be 
credited,  are  the  following:  Anaconda 
Company,  Boston  arid  Montana  Com- 
pany. Butte  and  Boston  Company,  Par- 
rot Company,  Butte  Reduction  Com- 
pany, Alire  Company,  Lexington  Com- 
pany, Moulton  Company,  Bluebird  Com- 
pany and  Colorado  and  Montana  Com- 
pany. 

The  product  of  the  first  five  companies 
named  is  copper  matte  carrying  silver 
and  gold,  except  in  the  case  of  the  Butte 
and  Boston  Company,  which  also  has  a 
bar  silver  product  from  its  fifty-stamp 
mill  (the  Silver  Bow.) 

The  product  of  the  last  five  companies 
named,  with  the  exception  of  thVColo  - 
rado  company,  is  bar  silver.  That  of  th  e 
Colorado  company  is  a  copper  matte, 
which  is  of  much  higher  grade  in  the 
precious  metals  than  the  product  of  any 
other  copper  smelting  concern  in  the 
district. 

The  ten  companies  named  operate  about 
lorty  mines,  besides  buying  and  reducing 
the  product  of  more  than  that  many 
more,  which  are  worked  by  their  owner* 
or  by  leaser.*.  Thus  almost  the  entire 
product  of  Butte  in  the  form  of  matte  or 
bullion  is  sent  to  market  by  one  of  these 
ten  companies. 

The  Boston  and  Montana  Company  de- 
rives its  ore  supply  from  the  same  ledges 
which  furnish  the  great  works  at  Ana- 
conda, though,  ot  course,  from  different 
claims  on  the  ledges.  The  chief  producers 


"belonging  to  the  Boston  ana  Montana  ' 
Company  are  the  Mountain  View,  the  two 
Colusas,  the  Liquidator,  Harris  &  Lloyd, 
Moose  and  Gaiubetta.  During  the  vear 
several  new  properties  have  been  ac- 
quired by  the  company.  The  chief 
mine  of  the  group  is-  the  Mount- 
ain View,  through  which  two  parallel 
cupper  veins  of  great  width  and  rich- 
ness run.  The  shaft  on  this  property  has 
Deen  sunk  100  feet  in  the  past  year,  giving 
it  ti  total  depth  of  1000  ieet.  The  inten- 
ion  is  to  make  it  the  deepest  shaft  in  the 
camp,  the  hoistin?  equipment  being  equal 
bo  3000  fee..  The  East  Colusa  has  notgone\ 
any  deeper  this  year,  being  still  800  feet, 
but  the  West  Col  lisa  has  gained  100,  now 
having  a  depth  of  400  feet.  The  Harris  & 
Lloyd  shaft  "has  been  sunk  from  the  400  to 
the  500;  the  Gambetta  has  doubled  its 
depth,  b?ing  now  400  feet. 

The  company  lias  made  no  change  of 
note  during  the  year  in  its  reduction  plant 
beyond  ordinary  repairs,  and  so  its  capa- 
ciiy  remains  as  it  was  one  year  ago — 
something  less  than  1000  tons  per  day. 
Up  to  the  commencement  of  1890  the 
entire  product  of  ore  since  the  company 
bought  out  the  Clark  smelter  has  been 
e?s  than  300,000  tons.  The  present  year 
he  product  will  be  about  200,000  tons, 
rid  with  the  completion  of  the  company's 
new  reduction  works  at  Great  Palls,  hav- 
ing a  capacity  of  about  2500  tons  per  day, 

;  the  product  will  run  up  pretty  well  toward 
1,000,000  tons  per  year.  The  new  works  will 
not  be  finished,  however,  until  pretty  well 
along  in  next  year.  All  that  is  needed  to 
give  the  Boston  and  Montan-i  rank  along- 
side of  the  largest  copper  producer  in  the 
world  is  sufficient  reduction  capacity. 
Tho  mines  have  already  justified  the 
promise  made  tor  them  oy  Thomas 
Couch,  manager  of  the  company,  as  show- 
ing capabilities  in  the  production  of  cop- 
per ore  unexcelled  in  the  world. 

The  Butte  and  Boston  Company  was 
organized  two  years  ago  and  acquired  by 
purchase  from  the  iate  A.  J.  D.tvis  a 
group  of  thirty-three  mining  properties, 
paying  for  them  $1,250.000.  The  princi- 
pal mines  of  this  number  are  the  Silver 
Bow,  the  Belle  of  Butte,  the  two  Gray 
Rocks  nnd  the  LA  Plata.  One  year  ago 
the  reduction  capacity  of  the  company 
was  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  per 
day.  Of  this  quantity  fifty  tons  were 
treated  in  the  company's  fifty-stamp 
chloridizing  silver  mill,  situated  at  the 
point  of  the  hill  around  toward  Meader- 
ville,  there  being  an  ample  output  of  silver 
ores  from  the  company's  mines,  for  that 
purpose,  the  bar  silver  product  of  the  mill 
for  1890  aggregating  about  $750,000.  The 
other  100  tons  of  the  company's  daily 
product  was  first  reduced  in  the  Liqui- 
dator concentrator  and  then  smelted  in 
the  company's  starter  for  its  present 
plant.  Since  that  time  the  company  has 
built  a  new  concentrator,  with  a  ca- 
pacity of  400  tons.  Additions  have 
been  made  also  to  the  actual  smelting 
part  of  the  plant,  and  from  this 
time  on  the  capacity  of  the  Butte 


and  Boston  workks  will  be  from  500 
to  600  tons  per  day.  These  improvements 
have  necessitated  additional  development 
in  the  the  mines  from  which  the  ore 
supply  is  to  come.  The  Gray  Rocks  have 
been  eiven  200  feet  additional  depth,  the 
Silver  Bow  100,  with  corresponding  lateral 
development,  while  all  the  other  proper- 
ties have  not  laid  idle  by  any  means.  All 
of  these  developments  have  shown  large 
new  bodies  of  a  fine  gride  of  silver-copper 
ores,  and  the  company's  capacity  tor  pro- 
duction is  now  many  times  its  reducing 
capacity.  Mr.  Charles  H.  Palmer,  the 
manager,  has  had  many  years'  experience 
as  a  successful  mine  manager,  but  in  the 
Butte  and  Boston  is  achieving  a  success 
heretofore  unequaled  even  in  his  experi- 

The  reduction  equipment  of  the  Colo- 
rado and  Montana  Company  is  about  125 
tons  per  day,  though  the  concentrator  is 
equal   to    considerably    more    than    that 
quantity.     The   company's   works   are  in 
charge  of  Henry  Williams  as  general  man- 
ager,   while    tho    mining    department    is 
managed  by   Charles   W.    Goodala.     Two 
more  efficient  gentlemen   in  their  respect- 
ive departments  would  be  hard  to  find,  as 
is  well   attested  by  the  great  success  -it- 
tending   the   company's  operations.     The 
comp  my's   mines  are  tho   Gagnon,  Orig- 
inal,   Butte,    Caledonia,   Nettie,   Hibernia 
and  Burlington.     All    but    about    10  per 
I  cent     of     the     ore     produced    first   re- 
.  quires    concentration    before    sending  it 
'  to    the    smelter.      The  "  principal      pro- 
ducer is  the  Gannon,  which  is  opened  to  a 
-  depth  of  1000  feet.      The   company   treats 
about  30,000  tons  of  its  own   ore   per  year 
1  and  also  a  large  auantitv   of  custom   ore. 

f  It  has  been  stated  in  an  earlier  part  of 
j  this  edition  that  the  matte  produced  b)r 
I  the  Colorado  smelter  is  high  i/rade  in  the 
precious  metals.  The  grades  of  various 
furnace  products,  as  shown  by  the  news- 
paper statistics  published  on  the  1st  of 
last.  January,  credits  the  Colorado  Com- 
pany's matte  with  carrying  about  $350  in 
the  precious  metals  to  the  ton  besides  the 
value  of  the  copper.  The  precious 
metal  contained  in  the  Butte  Reduc- 
tion Works'  matte  is  about  $200 
to  the  ton,  that  in  the  Anaconda 
matte  about  $130  to  the  ton,  and  Boston 
and  Montana  matte  about  $100.  So  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  claims  made  for  the  rich- 
ness of  the  Colorado  product  are  in  a 
measure  substantiated  by  the  figures. 
The  aim  apparently  is  not  so  much  to  pro- 
duce copper  as  to  produce  the  precious 
metals,  the  copper  being  utilized  as  a 
vehicle  for  gathering  the  silver  and  gold. 
The  product  of  the  company's  smelter  the 
present  vear  will  amount  to  something 
over  $1,000,000.  _  It  is  safe  to  predict,  how- 
ever, from  the  increased  showing  for  pro- 
ductiveness of  the  mines  owned  by  the 
company  that  there  will  soon  be  a  very 
considerable  increase  in  the  capacity  and 
yearly  output  of  the  reduction  plant. 

The  Moulton  Company's  chief  pro- 
ducer is  the  Moulton  itself,  adjoining  the 
great  Alice  mine  on  the  west,  while  its 


<• 


property    in    importance    is    the      this>  however,  he  is   always  open  to  con- 


seconc 

Poser,    which    also 
vein.     W.  A.  Clark, 

company  and  J.  K.  Clark  Us  superintend 
ent.  The  company  has  an  excellent  mine 
equipment  and  a  fine  forty-stamp  mill. 
It  has  not  been  a  dividend  payer  during 
the  low  prices  of  silver,  but  if  tne  pres- 
ent agitation  results  aa  ssems  likely 
in  restoring  silver  to  its  proper 
station  as  money,  then  the  renewal  of 
dividends  may  be  expected  from  the 
Moulton.  Otherwise,  although  the  Moul- 
ton  is  a  great  mine,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
open  bodies  of  higher  trade  ore  before  the 
stockholders  can  expect  the  returns  of 
dividends  to  any  considerable  extent. 
The  Moulton' s  production,  as  shown  by 
the  silver  bar  shipments,  was  about  $350,- 
000  for  the  past  year. 

No  account  of  the  finances  of  Butte 
would  be  complete  without  at  least  a 
mention  of  the  strong  but  ever  growing 
establishment  of  Hogo,  Brownie?  &  Co. 
It  was  founded  in  1882  bv  Messrs.  Marcus 
Daly,  R.  C.  Chambers,  William  L.  Hoge, 
M.  ~B.  Browniee  and  F.  E.  Sargent. 
These  gentlemen  saw  that  there  was 
already  room  in  Butte  for  another  bank, 
and  the  success  that  has  come  to  them 
amply  proves  the  unerring  sagacity  which 
guided  them.  With  such  backing  failure 
would  have  been  next  to  impossible,  but 
their  aftairs  have  been  so  carefully  and  so 
ably  managed  that  the  realization  has  far 


contains  a  fine  ore  -  viction  but  hi3  opponent  "should  be  well 
president  of  the  prjmed  and  prepared  for  the  contest  be- 
fore cr  ssing  swords,  for  Mr.  Mantle  is 
one  of  the  most  convincing  talkers  in  the 
West.  He  was  born  in  England  in  1854, 
coming  to  America  in  1863  and  locating  ia 
Salt  Like.  In  1870  he  went  to  Idaho, 
where  his  first  start  in  business  was  made. 
For  several  years  lie  w  is  ngent  for  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  and 
also  for  Gilmer,  Salisbury  &  Co's  stige 
line.  In  1877  he  became  manager  of 
Wells,  Fargo  &  Co's  at  Butte,  which  posi- 
tion he  filled  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  con- 
cerned. During  the  early  part  of  1881 
he,  in  company  with  a  few  asso- 
ciates, organized  a  company  and  went 
into  the  newspaper  business.  The  Djtiiy 
Inter- Mountain  was  started,  and  is  now 
the  leading  p.iper  in  the  city.  Mr.  Mantle 
was  chosen  lor  the  position  of  business 
manager,  and  a  comparison  of  the  first 
issue  of  the  paper  with  those  of  the  pres- 
ent shows  that  no  better  choice  could 
have  been  made.  Mr.  Mantle  was  also 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Butte  racetrack, 
and  up  to  a  short  time  ago  was  its  princi- 
pal owner.  In  politics  he  has  always 
taken  a  prominent  position,  beine  suc- 
cessively honored  by  the  citizens  of  Butte. 
He  served  two  terms  as  Alderman,  twice 
in  the  Legislature  and  was  a  delegate  to 
the  Republican  national  convention  in 
1881  His  selection  as  Mayor  of  the  city 


outrun  expectation.  This  bank  has  ever  during  the  last  municipal  election  is  still 
been  found  in  the  forefront  when  any .  aaother  incident  showing  in  what  respect 
measure  for  the  jreneral  good  has  bee--  and  trust  he  is  held  by  the  community, 
proposed,  and  to  it  the  city  owes  much  Before  thia  election  Mr.  Mantle  threw 
that  can  never  be  repaid.  consternation  in  the  r  inks  of  the  moss- 

A   few   words   about   the  Mayor  of  this    backs    by     coming     out     strongly     and 
city   will    be   rend  with  interest  bv  all,  as  i  advocating       rainy       improvements     to 
perhaps  no  man  in  Montana  is  more  uni-  i  tne 
versally   popular.     On   first   meeting    Lee  j  been 
Mantle   a,  stranger   ia    at  once  impressed 
with     the     character    and    individuality 


city.        Pure       water       has       long 
needed,      and      during   'the    cam- 
he     and      his     associates     formu- 
lated a  plan  'whereby  this   boon   could   be 
nad.     He  was  met  with  sturdy  opposition, 
---  r  but  his  personal  following  and   ttie    belief 
brows,  and    his  piercing  eyes,  is  a  familiar  [   of  tha  p£opie   in  his  judgment  proved  too 
signt  on  the  streets,  and  not  to   know  Lee    j  8tron<, Haa'd  he  Wa9  elected:     He  is  simply 
Mantle   is   to    argue    yourself    unknown,  u  folio^n.  out  his  policv,  which  has  placed 
He  has,  perhaps,  the  largest  personal  Ibl-  N  hitn  m  h"\3  pres«.nt  position    in    the   corn- 
lowing  ot  any  man  in    Montana,    and    his  [j|  munitv.     It  is  the  same    with    all    affairs 


which  stands  forth  so  prominently  in  his 
features.     His  clean  cut  face,   with  hsavv 


immense  popularity  has  of;en  been 
demonstrated.  Mr.  'Mantle  ia  one  of  the 
class  defined  bv  the  quotation  that 
not  made."  During 
figured  prominently 
in  business,  poll- 
public  aff.urs  he 
in  the  background. 
This  must  not,  however,  be  ascribed 
to  ah  excess  of  assurance.  He  has  never 
attempted  to  push  himself  to  the  front 
by  such  mean  -3.  Any  body  of  men  are 
quick  to  recognize  the  presence  of  a 
master  mind  in  their  midst,  and  as  a  na- 


"  Leaders  are  born, 
the  years  he  has 
before  the  public 
tics  and  general 
has  never  stood 


'  tending  toward  the  public  good.  He  says 
I  that  nothing  is  too  good  for  Butte  or  the 
|  people  residing  there,  and  he  certainly 

has  shown  in  the  past  that  he  firmly  be.- 
)  lieves  this.  In  fraternal  relations  Mr. 
I  Mantle  is  also  prominent,  be  being  the 
^  first  grand  chancellor.  Knights  of  Pythias, 
)•)  in  Montana.  He  was  also  president  ot 
!  the  Mineral  Land  convention  held  ai 
u!  Helena  in  1888.  Mr.  Mantle  was  especially 
1  fortunate  in  his  selection  of  a  business 
1  partner,  General  Warren.  Possessing 

many    of    the  same  characteristics  as  Mr. 


as  a  na-  ^  Mantle   General  Warren  has  made  a  name 
tural  consequence_his   opinion  ."  always        and  ft  r'ecord  (or  himseif  wniea    i8  second 


eagerly  sought.  Mr.  Mantle  is  always 
ready  to  express  his  honest  convictions  on 
matters  pertaining  to  public  interest,  and 
no  matter  if  his  views  are  in  direct  con- 
tradiction to  those  of  his  best  friends,  it 
makes  no  difference.  Notwithstanding 


to  none  in  Montana.  In  promulgating 
and  handling  large  deals  General  Warren 
has  shown  himself  to  be  an  adept,  his 
keen  foresight  enabling  him  to  instantly 
grasp  and  master  the  minutest  detaih  of 
a  large  enterprise.  He  is  alao  one  of  the 


most  poouiar  men  in  Butte. 

In  referring  to'  matters  pertaining  to 
public  interest  special  mention  should  be 
m  ide  of  H.  L.  Frank,  the  wholesale 
liquor  dealer.  He  is  known  in  Western 
i  arlance  as  a  "hustler,"  and  withal  one 
of  the  moat  popular  men  in  the  city. 
Whenever  any  movement  is  on  fool 
whereby  the  public  interests  will  be 
served  Mr.  Frank  is  invariably  found  in 
the  front  ranks  working  hard  to  push  the 
attair  to  a  successful  completion.  During 
his  residence  in  Butte  he  has  built  up  one' 
of  the  largest  wholesale  houses  in  the 
Northwest,  his  business  steadily  increas- 
ing year  after  year.  Mr.  Frank  has  no 
patience  with  the  specimens  so  often  seen 
in  San  Francisco,  viz.,  the  Silurian.  His 
arguments  on  this  subject  are  right  to  the 
point,  and  his  manner  shows  that  he 
means  exactly  what  he  says.  He  has  de- 
termined on  Buite  as  a  permanent  place 
of  abode,  and  if  the  line  or  policy  laid 
down  by  Mr.  Frank  is  carried  out  it  will 
not  he  long  before  Butte  will  be  classed  as 
the  Chicago  of  the  West. 


One  of  the   Old  Mining 

Regions. 


Plenty  of  Mineral  Still  to  Be 
Found. 


Gold  and  Silver  Mines  That  are  Now 

Being  Worked— Good 

Prospects. 


Correspondence  of  the  CHRONICLE. 

REDDINQ,  May  20. — Much  attention  has 

been  drawn    of  late   to    the  Sunny     Hill 

jistrict,  Igo  and  Ono.     The    former    lies 

about  twenty- two   miles    in    an    easterly 

lirecfcion  trom  Redding,  the  county  seat. 

fa.  Joseph   Bell  and    others    have    been 

uccessfully     working     their  claims,  and 

,res  are  shipped  from  there  to  the    smelt- 

rs,  which  average  from  $200  to  $250  per 

on. 

igo  lies  to  the  east  of  Sunny  Hill.  The 
dines  here  were  formerly  worked  by 
^  Uvinza  Hayward,  but  injunctions  of  the 
Jnited  States  District  Court  have  corn- 
Celled  the  owners  to  cease  operations. 
Jhese  mines  will  some  day  yield  large  re- 


turns to  the  investor. 

From  two  to  four  miles  west  of  Igo,  in 
the  direction  of  Ono,  lies  a  belt  of  mining 
country  that  has  a  large  number  of  silver 
mines  therein.  One  owned  and  worked 
by  Mr.  Rothwell  yields  from  $500  to  $800 
per  ton  in  silver.  This  is  the  Crystal 
mine.  The  Chicago,  also  a  silver-bearing 
mine,  has  been  worked  for  the  past  twenty 
years  with  good  results.  Robinson  &  Sons 
also  own  a  number  of  mines  very  rich  in 
ailver.and  within  the  past  six  months  John 
Wright  has  discovered  and  opened  a  sil- 
ver mine,  one  of  the  richest  and  best  in 
the  county.  Mr.  Engle  is  another  owner 
01  some  good  locations.  From  all  of  these 
mines  ores  have  been  shipped  to  the 
smelters  with  good  results  to  the  owners. 
At  the  present  time  there  are  in  course  of 
erection  works  for  reducing  the  silver  ores 
of  that  district  by  Yount  &  Co.,  these 
gentlemen  being  fully  of  the  opinion  that 
this  will  be  one  of  the  best  silver  mining 
districts  in  the  State.  There  is  plenty 
of  water  power  and  lumber,  and  these 
mines  can  be  worked  the  whole  year 
round. 

About    fourteen     miles    north    of    Oro 
we     come     to     the     group     of     mines 
in    the    French   Gulch    district   formerly 
owned  by  William  T.  Coleman,  and  known 
as   the   Coleman   mine.     It  is  now  owned 
and    operated    by   an    English   company, 
William  T.  St.  Auburn  being  the  superin- 
tendent.    This  group  of  mines  has  been  ! 
worked  with  good  results  during  the  past 
few  years. 

The  Washington  mine,  the  property  of 
E.    Lewin,    John    Souter  (manager)    and 
others,  has   ten   stamps   continually  run- 
ning.    In  fact,  ihis  mine  has  been  worked 
since  1852,  and   has   all   the  ti'me   been    a  ; 
paying  property.    Thomas  Green  formerly  ' 
owned  a  mine   in  this  district.     There  is  a 
mill  on  the  property,  but   baa   manage- 
ment caused  a  loss  to  the  owner. 

The  Gladstone,  one  of  the  leading  mines 
of  Northern  California,  is  owned  by  an 
English  company  and  is  unJer  the  man- 
agement of  Colonel  C.  J.  Clark.  Twenty 
stamps  are  continually  running  with  an 
output  of  thirty  tons  per  day.  They  last 
month  crushed  1400  tons.  The  ore  assays 
high,  and  the  company  has  made  money 
from  the  start.  Mr.  Clark  is  now  nego- 
tiating for  an  electrical  plant. 

In  addition  to  these  mines  is  the  old 
Highland  mine,  owned  by  Mr.  Lowdon 
and  others.  They  run  a  stamp  mill  by 
water  power.  This  mine  has  produced 
ore  in  large  quantities  that  at  times  has 
piid  very  ricniy.  J.  W.  Conant  has  a 
mill  on  his  mining  property  near  by. 
This  mine  has  been  partly  opened,  and  so 
far  as  prospected  looks  very  promising 
and  bids  fair  to  be  one  of  the  good  paying 
mines  of  the  county. 

Frank  W.  W  heeler  has  a  number  of 
valuable  locations  on  which  he  has  done 
consider/  »  development  work,  and  near 
by,  ju/  the  extreme  edge  of  the  j 


YOU 


Map  of  Shasta  county. 


county,  bordering  on  Trinity,  is  the  cele- 
brated McDonald  mine,  owned  by  Mc- 
Donald Brothers  &  Franck,  Thfs  has 
been  and  is  one  of  the  best-  paying  mines 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  State.  There 
are  many  very  promising  mines  in  this 
neighborhood,  Near  to  and  north  of 
Redding  is  the  Scherer  Tellurium  mine. 
This  is  about  two  miles  from  Rai- 
ding and  is  owned  by  Peter  Scherer 
and  others.  Very  high  grade  ore 
has  bean  taken  from  it.  Close 
by  is  a  mine  owned  by  Fred  Grotefend 
and  others  upon  svhich  there  is  a  mill. 
About  four  miles  north  of  here  rire  the 
mines  and  reduction  works  or  A.  B.  Paul, 
•whose  experiments  with  the  new  cvanide 
me'.hod,  known  as  the  McArthur-Forrest 
process,  are  producing  good  results  and 
have  given  much  encouragement  to  the 
miners  of  Shasta  county.  Tnese  mines 
are  good  and  paving  all  the  time.  A  very 
fine  sample  of  ore  was  lately  brought  to 
the  secretary  of  the  Shasta  County  Miners' 
Association  by  Mr.  Paul. 

A  little  farther  north  is  a  group  of 
mines  in  the  old  Diggings  district  belong- 
ing to  the  Walker  Brothers,  who  have 
been  reducing  by  the  mill  process,  but 
contemplate  putting  in  a  McArthur-For- 
reat  plant.  Adjoining  them  is  the  Reid 
group  of  mines,  with  stamp  mill,  now 
bonded  to  a  San  Francisco  company  that 
is  about  to  erect  large  works.  Robert 
Stevenson,  a  shrewd  Scotchman,  is  the 
superintendent,  and  the  mine  will  be 
'•  worked  for  nil  it  is  worth.  Adjoining  is 
the  Central  Mine  and  Milling  Company, 
owned  by  a  New  York  company,  headed 
by  Vice-President  Morton.  The  ledge 
is"  large,  and  ore  has  been 
shipped  in  large  quantities  to 
the  smelters.  Next  to  this  mine  is  the 
celebrated  Mammoth  mine,  with  a  ledge 
fifteen  feet  wide,  owned  by  a  San  Fran- 
cisco company  and  under  the  manasre- 
ment  of  A.  J.  Morton.  Adjoining  is  the 
well-known  Texas  and  Georgia  mine.  A 
tramway  carries  the  ore  from  the  mines  to 
the  mill.  R.  G.  Hart,  t!ie  owner,  is  a  man 
of  enterprise,  and  is  doing  well  on  his 
property,  which  is  a  very  valuable  one. 
Near  to  him  is  a  group  ot  mines  owned 
and  managed  by  Colonel  J.  F.  Lyons. 
These  are  promising  well,  and  much  rich 
ore  is  on  their  dump. 

Some  miles  higher  up  and   on    the   west 
side  of  the  Sacramento  river    we   come    to 


the  Squaw  Creek  mining:  district.  JLI.  i 
would  take  much  apace  to  give  a  full  des-  i 
cription  oi'  the  mines  in  this  rich  country,  \ 
as  indeed  it  would  to  do  justice  to  any  of 
the  districts  already  mentioned. 

The  Uncle  Sam  group  of  mines  IB  very 
rich.  _These  mines  are  owned  by  the 
Sierra  iJutte  Mining  Company,  which  has 
a  laree  stamp  mill  and  tramways  running 
to  it  irorn  the  roinss.  William  Jarnes  is 
the  superintendent  and  he  is  one  of  the 
most  painstaking  men  in  the  country. 

The  Snyder  Mining  Company  has  a 
large  quartz  mill.  This  company  has 
completed  tramways  from  its  several 

mines  to  the  mill,  and  the  ore  is  deliv-  i 
ered  at  a  cost  of  10  cents  per  ton.  These  \ 
mines  are  under  the  management  of  ; 
James  Barron,  one  of  the  beS'i-posted  men  j 
in  the  county  on  quartz  mining. 

Morton,  Bliss  &  Co.  of  New  York  have 
here  a  good  mine  that  is  unfortunately 
shut  down  at  present.  These  mines  are 
very  rich,  and  under  a  good  superintend- 
ent would  yield  largely  and  be  a  fine-pay- 
ing property.  In  this  neighborhood  is  a 
large  number  of  smaller  mines  very  prom- 
ising, but  too  numerous  to  mention. 

Who  has  not  heard  of  the  wonderful 
mineral  deposits  in  the  Iron  Mountain 
region,  about  hve  miles  north  of  the  old 
town  of  Shasta?  By  an  easy  route  we  ar- 
rive at  the  celebrated  Iron  Mountain 
mine,  which  is  under  the  immediate  su- 
perintendence of  James  Sallee.  Near  by 
is  a  mine  owned  by  B.  N.  J3ugbee  &  Co. 
of  Sacramento  and  at  present  under  the 
management  ot  J.  M.  Gleanea.  Adjoin- 
ing these  mines  is  the  Hidden  Treasure, 
which  is  making  a  very  good  showing. 

North  for  the  next  ten  miles,  in  addition 
to  the  gold,  silver  ore  crops  out  here  and 
there  umil  the  BalakLiva  mine  is 
reached,  owned  by  B.  Conroy  and  others. 
The  ore  here  is  in  immense  quantities 
and  assays  very  high  in  silver. 

Of  late  years' but  little  mining  has  been 
done  in  the  Copper  City  district.  A  few 
skilled  mining  men  who  understand  their 
business  have  lately  opened  up  some  old 
claims,  and  they  show  promising  pros- 
pects. The  great  advance  made  In  the 
knowledge  of'  quartz  mining  during  the 
last  ten  years  has  given  hopes  that  the 
previous  failures  in  this  part  of  the  co  unty 
are  a  thing  of  the  past. 

In  the  eastern  portion  of  the  county 
there  has  of  late  been  much  prospecting 
done.  It  has  been  interfered  with,  how- 
ever, by  the  long  and  heavy  rains.  Indi- 
cations of  lead  deposits  in  larger  quanti- 
ties have  been  found  by  some  experienced 
miners.  How  valuable  this  would  be  for 
fluxing  purposes  need  not  be  told. 

Iron  deposits  pi  immense  extent  and  of 
very  fine  quality,  coal,  limeBtone,  mar- 
ble, asbestos  and  other  mineral  products 
of  great  commercial  value  go  to  make  up 
a  list  that  any  principality  might  be 
proud  of. 

The  Sacramento,  Pitt  and  McCord 
rivers  yield  their  groat  strength  for  water 
power  and  immense  tracts  of  land  cov- 
ered by  the  finest  of  timber,  as  yet  al- 
most untouched,  supply  all  that  the  en- 
terprising miner  can  require. 

WILLIAM  G.  HODSOK. 


MONTANA'S  CAPITAL 


Some  Facts  About  the  City 
of  Helena. 


A  Wealthy  and  Important 
Place. 


Tributary  Railroads    Building:    Up 
Its  Trade— A  Bright  Out- 
look. 


Correspondence  of  the  CHRONICLE. 

HELENA  (Mont.),  May  20,  1892.— The 
city  of  Helena,  capital  of  Montana,  lays 
claim  to  being  the  richest  city  of  her  size 
on  the  continent.  She  has  ft  greater  popu- 
lation than  any  other  point  between 
Minneapolis  and  Portland,  and  is  the 
financial,  commercial,  political  and  rail- 
road center  of  an  empire  of  territor>_ 
Two  railroad  lines  connect  Helena  with 
the  outside  world,  the  Northern  Pacific 
and  the  Union  Pacific.  The  former  is  her 
principal  outlet,  affording  her  both  am 
Eastern  and  Western  market. 

Mining  is  the  chief  industry  of  Mon- 
tana, and  some  of  the  richest  mines  in 
the  State  are  situated  near  Helena.  Re- 
duction works  have  been  established  at 
Helena,  and  branch  railways  are  built  to 
the  neighboring  camps,  thus  making  the' 
city  the  point  to  which  may  be  forwarded^ 
the  major  portion  of  the  State's  produc- 
tion. In  fact  the  importance  of  the  placo 
materially  depends  upon  its  being  the 
terminus  of  this  network  of  roads. 

Bullion  and  gold  dust  are  received  at 
the  United  States  assay  office  in  Helena, 
paying  therefor  coined  gold  or  currency 
in  return,  less  the  cost  of  coinage. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  buninesi 
portion  of  the  city  cannot  fail  to  imprest 
the  visitor  favorably.  It  is  mostly  built 
1  of  brick  and  stone,  giving  an  air  of  per- 
I  manency  to  the  city.  The  streets  in  the 
older  portions  are  somewhat  irregular, 
The  miners  as  they  washed  their  grave) 
threw  it  into  piles,  upon  which  they  built 
their  shanties.  These  in  time  were  re- 
placed with  permanent  buildings,  and  sc 
geometrical  lines  are  somewhat  wanting. 


Back  of  the  business  portion  the  resi- 
dences are  built  with  a  decided  predUeo- 
tion  to  avoid  the  plain  and  climb  up  the 
side  of  Mount  Helena.  Tho  Courthouse 
is  a  striking  building  and  visible  Irorn  a 
long  distance  owing  to  its  being  situated 
on  a  considarable  elevation. 

The  future  of  Helena  is  an  assured 
fact.  From  the  wild  placer  mining  camp 
of  a  few  years  ago  it  has  taken  rank  as 
one  of  the  most  substantially  built  inland 
cities.  Its  geographical  position  gives  it 
a  commercial  importance",  and  it  is  one  of 
the  best-known  mineral  centers  in  the 
world,  while  all  the  valleys  around  Helena 
are  being  ranidly  settled  by  farmers  and 
stockmen.  Money  is  power,  and  by  virtue 
of  her  wealth  alone  Helena  can  claim  her 
due. 

John  C.  Curtin,   the    present  Mayor  of 
Helena,  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  State, 
and  withal  one  of  the  most  popular.     He 
is   engaged    in    the    hardware    business, 
which  by  close  application  and  ability  be 
has  built  up  so  that  it  is   now  the  leading 
institution  or  this  character  in  Montana. 
Mr.  Curtin's  election  as  Mayor  of  the  city 
was  nothing  more  than  a  deserved  recog- 
nition of  his  worth  and  his  standing  in  the 
community.     Like   the   majority  of  mer- 
chants in  Helena  he  is  interested  to  some 
extent    in    mining,    and  is  doing  all    in  ' 
his      power     to      have     silver       recog-  " 
nized    as    a    precious    metal.      He    has ', 
been    prominent     in    the     organization  t.' 
of  silver  clubs  in   Montana,    his  work  on  ;" 
-this  subject  being  especially  valuable  to  '* 
the  miners.    Mr.  Curtin  says  that  he  is  a 
rnossback,  at  least  people  call  him.  so,  be- 
cause he  chooses  to   burn   coal  oil   in   his  • 
store  in  the  nineteenth  century.     If,  how- 
ever,   hfl   should    place    himself    on    this 
standard,    the  progressive   and  enterpris- 
ing men  of  Montana    would    be    hard  to 
find.     Mr.    Curtin  is    confident    that  the 
present  agitation    throughout   the    silver- 
producing  countries  will    bring  good  re- 
sults, ana  that  the  effect  will    be  that  sil- 
ver will  stand  in  the  same  position  that  it 
did  ten  years  ago. 

One  of  Montan's  most  prominent  citi- 
zen's is  ex-Governor  S.  T.  Hauaer,  who 
was  born  in  Falmouth,  Ky.,  in  1834.  He 
studied  civil  engineering  while  a  young 
man,  and  after  spending  a  while  in  the 
South  started  for  Montana  in  1862  by  way 
of  the  Missouri  river.  A  large  party  of 
adventurers,  including  young  Hauser, 
went  up  the  river  on  two  steamboats  and 
landed  at  Fort  Bentou,  then  a  remote  In- 
dian trading  post.  Their  purpose  was  to 
cross  the  Rocky  mountains  to  the  Colum- 
bia river.  They  heard  at  Benton  that  the 
Indians  had  fuund  gold  in  Western  Idaho, 
but  did  not  hate  any  very  definite  idea  of 
the  geography  of  the  country.  Hausor 
formed  one  of  a  party  of  volunteers  to 
explore  the  region  west  of  Fort 
Benton  and  ascertain  it  it  would 
be  practicable  to  get  wagons  through 
it.  The  country  was  found  to  be 
open  up  to  the  base  of  the  Rockies,  and 


r 


the  gold-seakers  soon  scattered  in  small 
parties.  Not  much  was  done  that  sum- 
mer. There  wa«  so  little  money  in  the 
possession  of  Hauser's  companions  that 
by  the  full  their  cook,  who  was  paid  $50  a 
month,  had  all  their  cash:  Ic  was  ex- 
pected that  the  party  would  have  to  liva 
through  the  winter  on  "meat  straight," 
and  as  Hauser  was  a  good  shot  he  was 
detailed.«Lis  hunter.  Reports  came  of  the 
finding  of  gold  at  Bannock  before  the  win- 
ter was  over.  Hauser  hastened  to  the  new 
diggings,  took  up  a  claim,  and  worked 
hard  with  pick  and  shovel.  His  claim 
was  on  a  sidehill,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
haul  his  dirt  on  a  hide  to  the  water  to 
wash  it.  The  next  fall  he  was  a  member 
of  the  famous  Stewart  expedition  which 
went  to  the  Yellowstone  country  prospect- 
ing for  gold,  and  fought  the  Indians  in 
beveral  desperate  encounters. 

In  1864  Mr.  Hauser  helped  to  raise 
money  to  prvy  the  expenses  of  a  delega- 
tion to  Washington  to  urge  upon  Con- 
gress the  division  of  Idaho  and  the  estab- 
lishmewt  of  a  new  territory  east  of  the 
Bitter  Root  mountains.  He  went  as  one 
of  the  delegates,  in  company  with  W.  F. 
Sanders  and  Jud.^e  E  igefton.  They  were 
successful  in  their  mission  and  the  Terri- 
tory of  Montana  was  established.  While 
in  the  East  Mr.  Hauser  raised  a  little 
monej'' to  start  a  bank  with  in  .Virginia 
City,  the»tne  chief  town  ot  the  Territory. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  his  career  as  u 
banker.  In  1865 he  organized  the  St.  Louis 
and  Montana  Mining  Company  and  } 
erected  the  first  smelter  in  the  Territory 
on  Rattlesnake  creek,  at  the  town  of  Ar-  I 
genta.  In  18G6  the  same  company  erected 
i  he  first  silver  mill  in  Montana  "at  Phil-  l 
lips  burg. 

The  discovery  of  Last  Chance  gulch  had  l 
developed    the    town    ot    Helcnn,    which 


Grass  Valley  and  Nevada 
City. 

Two  Great  Quartz  Mining 


Centers. 


Prosperous  Towns  in  the  Foothills— 

Their    Advantages    and 

Attractions. 


Grass  Valley  is  celebrated  as  being  the 
oldest  quartz  mining  town  in  California, 
evidences  of  the  work  of  both  quartz  and 
placer  mining  being  seen  on  every  hand. 
It  must  not  be  supposed  that  Grass  Val- 
ley stands  in  the  light  of  a  deserted  min- 
ing camp.  On  the  contrary,  the  town  is 
how  one  of  the  most  prosperous  of  Cali- 
fornia's interior  cities.  The  population  .is 
7000,  and  they  are  about  as  happy  and 
contented  a  lot  of  people  as  can  be  found. 
It  was  originally  settled  up  as  ft  head' 
quarters  for  the  mines  in  the  district,  but 
the  residents  of  the  town  have  dis- 


town    ot  , 

gre\>  rapi  ily  and   became   the    capital   oil  I'  covered    that     mining      was      not     the 
the  Territory.       In    the    same    year   Mr. 
Hwuser  organized  the  First  National  Bank' 
of  Helena.      He  thus  became  the   founder 


First  National    Bank  of    Mis*oula,  in  1868' 
the  First  National  Bank  of   Fort   Ben  ton, 
and  in  1870  tho    First    National   Bank  of1 
Butte.  In  187U  he  organized  the  first  party 

'he 

armed  the  Helena  Minng  and  Reduc- 
tion  Company,  and  purchased  ihe  works 
ai  WicKes  and  the  neighboring  mines.  He 
gn.de.  1  the  railroad,  twenty  miles  to 


Wkkes  and  turned  it  over  to  the  Northern 
F*r  . 


only  pleasant  and  profitable  feature 
o{  the  locality,  and  the  majority  of  the 
innabitants  have  certainly  c^me  to  stay. 

S  r  first  piace  *.•  iocfatn-ri3  one*hof 

tne  best  m  the  interior  of  California,  the 
scenic  attractions  being  of  the  highest 
order  and  the  climate  the  typical  climate 

o  of  California.  Being  built'  upon  rolling 
«round  the  streets  are  not  liad  out  with 
reSard  to  the  points  of  the  compass  but 
rather  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  occa- 
sion.  This  feature  lends  an  additional 

-u  charm  to   the  place.     The   residents,    the 

^ 


majority    of  whom  are   comfortably   cir- 
r  .  cumstanced,  have  for  years  been  engaged 

prandniece  of  Captain  Clarke,  the  iamous11  m  beautifying  their  homes,  and  it  is  safe 
explorer  of  the  Lewis  and  Clarke  expedi-  to  say  that  Grass  Valley  is  not  behind  the 
tion.  He  is  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  procession  in  this  regard.  A  certain  in- 
Montana  and  lives  in  a  style  commenau-  dication  of  the  prosperity  of  any  city  or 
rate  with  his  vast  fortune.  '  -  '  *  -  - 


town  is  trie  support  bestowed  upon  tne 
local  newspapers.  Grass  Valley  has  three 
daily  papers,  all  enterprising  and  newsy, 
and  the  liberal  patronage  they  all  enjoy 
is  a  credit  to  the  business  men  and  resi- 
dents of  the  town. 

The  mining  industry  is,  of  course,  the 
chief  industry  of  the  place,  many  noted 
mines  being  now  worked  adjacent  to  the 
town.  The  fruit  industry  has  also  proved 
to  be  a  profitable  one,  and  on  every  hand 
may  be  found  the  apple,  pear,  peach  and 
other  fruit  trees,  bearing  heavily  and 
growing  thriftily.  The  original  orchards 
were  planted  simply  for  the  purpose  ot 
supplying  the  homes,  but  in  late  years 
large  shipments  are  annually  made,  the 
industry  having  grown  to  large  propor- 
tions. 

As  a  place  of  residence  Grass  Val- 
ley possesses  many  attractions.  Besides 
the  beauty  of  the  scenery  and  the  perfect 
climate,  the  town  has  the  best  educational 
and  religious  advantages.  The  Mount  St. 
Mary's  Convent,  a  school  for  young  ladies, 
has  an  enviable  reputation  throughout  the 
coast,  and  is  considered  a  leading  institu- 
tion. 

The  principal  mine  ot  Grass  Valley  is 
the  Idaho,  which  is  also  probably  the 
best-known  mine  in  California.  Messrs. 
Edward  and  John  Golem  in,  who  are  the 
principal  owners  in  the  property,  stated  to 
a  CHRONICLE  representative  that,  in  their 
opinion,  the  mine  will  ba  worked  tor 
years  to  come,  although  a  depth  of  3100 
feet  has  been  reached.  The  grade  of  the 
ore  remains  about  the  same,  while  with 
the  many  new  improvements  in  milling 
:md  mining  machinery  the  coat  of  pro- 
duction is  materially  lessened.  Both  of 
these  gentlemen  have  personal  super- 
vision of  the  mine,  and  much  of  its 
success  must  be  ascribed  to  their 
careful  management.  Every  precau- 
tion against  accident  is  taken, 
no  expense  being  spared  in  this 
regard.  The  Coleman  Brothers  are  also 
heavily  interested  in  hydraulic  mines 
near  Nevada  City.  Edward  Coleman  says 
that  with  the  resumption  of  hydraulic 
mining  in  California  it  is  his  opinion  that 
business  of  all  kinds  will  be  given  an  im- 
petus, and  that  no  greater  boon  could  be 
asked  for  by  the  merchants  and,  in  fact, 
all  those  interested  in  the  financial  and 
commercial  interests  of  the  coast.  With 
the  enormous  amounts  of  money  annually 
taken  irom  these  mines  and  which  h"e 
places  at  from  $8,000,000  to  $12,000,000,  it 
would  create  a  demand  for  all  classes  of 
merchandise,  machinery  and  would  also 
give  lucrative  employment  to  thousands 
of  men.  In  figuring  lip  the  damage  caused 
by  the  working  of  the  mines  he  states  that 
tbe  most  c  ireful  estimates  tail  to  show  a 
damage  exceeding  $3,000,000.  Mr.  Cole- 
man is  sanguine  that  the  miners  will  be 
,  given  the  relief  asked  for,  if  not  in  the 
present  Congress  in  the  next  one. 


Alt  Tregidgo,  principal  owner  of  the 
Peabody  mine,  is  also  sanguine  that  the 
miners  will  be  given  the  desired  relief, 
Mr.  Tregidgo  is  not  a  hydraulic  miner,  but 
his  sympathies  are  with  them,  and  he  is 
one  of  their  heartiest  supporters.  During 
the  past  two  months  he  has  run  ink)  a 
specimen  lead  in  his  mina  which  has 
yielded  enormous  returns.  The  mine  was 
abandoned  when  he  started  to  work  it, 
and  over  $90, 000  was  expended  in  improve- 
ment!* beiore  one  dollar's  worth  of  ore  was 
taken  out.  The  property  is  now  consid- 
ered one  of  the  most  valuable  in  the  State. 

NEVADA   CITY. 

Nevada  City  is  situated  four  miles 
north  from  Grass  Valley  and  ia  built 
upon  a  very  similar  plan.  It  is  the 
county  seat,  and  next  to  Graea  Valley  is 
the  oldest  mining,  camp  in  California. 
Originally  the  town  clustered  on  the  nar- 
row flat  on  Deer  creek,  which  flows 
through  the  center  of  the  place.  This 
space,  however,  quickly  proved  too  lim- 
ited and  soon  the  hills  in  every  direction 
were  covered  with  houses,  the  streets 
were  not  laid  out  with  any  particular 
fegard  to  symmetry,  and  as  a  consequence 
the  stranger  in  Nevada  City  soon  gets  be- 
wildered in  ;i  seemingly  interminable 
maze.  The  effect,  however,  is  pleasant. 
Nevada  City  supports  two  daily 
papers,  each  being  well  patronized. 
The  city  is  incorporated  and  has 
two  schools  of  different  grades,  churches 
ot  every  description,  stores  of  every  kind, 
four  large  hotels,  an  efficient  fire  depart- 
ment, a  good  theater,  two  large  foundries 
and' twenty  quartz  mills.  The  population 
of  the  town  is  about  6000. 

Martin,  Muir  &  Co.,  who  have  for  some 
time  been  engaged  in  the  foundry  busi- 
ness, have  from  a  small  beginning  built 
up  a  business  which  is  complete  in  all  de- 
partments and  recognized  as  one  of  the 
solid  institutions  ot  Nevada  City.  It  is 
the  principal  foundry  in  the  county,  the 
work  turned  out  giving  the  utmost  satis- 
laction.  The  gentlemen  are  very  firm  be- 
lievers in  the  future  of  Nevada  City,  and 
state  that  they  have  come  there  to  stay. 

The  principal  banking  business  of  the 
county  is  carried  on  by  the  Citizens' 
Bank,  the  head  office  being  in  Nevada 
City,  with  a  branch  bank  in  Grass  Valley. 
A  conservative  business  is  carried  on,  and 
the  gentlemen  in  charge  have  the  utmost 
confidence  and  respect  of  the  community. 
Any  matter  tending  toward  the  public 
good  is  cheerfully  supported  by  this  insti- 
tution, the  president.  E.  Preston,  and 
the  cashier,  J.  T.  Morgan,  being  recog- 
nized as  two  of  the  most  enterprising 
and  progressive  men  in  the  com- 
munity. The  bank  is  the  second  one 
established  in  the  county,  its  predecessor 
going  out  of  business  a  short  time  after 
the  incorporation.  Like  other  citizens  in 
this  district,  the  managers  ol  the  bmk 
look  forward  to  a  resumption  of  hydraulic 
mining  with  the  hope  that  this  session  of 
Congress  will  afford  the  necessary  re- 


Tlie  Part  Played  by  Them 
in  History, 

A  Steady  Supply  Means 
Prosperity. 


on 


•ilver  have  been  esteemed  as  the  precious 
metals,  performing  the  function!  of 
measuring  and  exchanging  values. 

Their  volume  before  the  discovery  of 
America  was  not  very  great,  excepting 

.during  the  palmy  days  of  ancient  Rome. 
It  is  estimated  by  Jacob  that  during  the 

-reign  of  Augustus,  A.  D.  14,  tb«  Roman 
Empire  contained  gold  and  silver  to  the 
value  of  $1,790,000,000.  This  was  a  large 
amount  for  the  time,  and  its  existence 
probably  explains  the  great  prosperity  en- 
joyed by  the  Romans  for  a  considerable 
period  after  the  date  mentioned. 

The  same  authority,  Jacob,  estimates 
that  at  the  time  of  the  discovery  of 
America  the  supply  of  gold  and  silver  in 
Europe  had  shrunk  to  the  insignificant 
amount  of  $167,000,000. 

The  effect  of  this  terrible  diminution  of 
so  necessary  an  article  as  money  can  only 

[  be  realized  from  a  study  of  prices.  Ac- 
cording to  Landriu  and  Roswag  a  ton  of 

•  wheat  was  worth  only  £1  8s.  6d.  during  the 

i  fifteenth  century,  scarcely  .more  than  one- 
tenth  as  much  as  between  1850  and  1880. 
An  ox  could  be  had  for  £1;  a  pound  of 

i-  butter  was  worth  1  penny;  eight  pounds 

>  of  beef  could  be  bought  for  6  pence,  and 
so  on  through  the  brief  list  of  the  produc- 

^  tions  of  the  dark  ages. 

In  consequence  of  the  enormous   appre- 
ciation of  the  value  of  money  commerce 
t  was  paralyzed.    It  is  true  our  histories  are 

[i  filled  with  allusions  to  the  important  trade 
of  the  orient,  and  we  are  informed  by 
some  writers  that  the  discovery  of  Amer- 

.[  ica  was  in  large  part  due  to  the  attempt  of 
the  Turks  to  monopolize  the  Levantine 

j "  commerce,  but  we  may  set  down   much  of 

j!1  this    talk    as    mere    rhetoric.     When  an 

ls  author  speaks  of  the  valuable  trade  in 
spices  during  the  middle  ages  we  have  a 

1 '"  right  to  assume  that  the  glamour  of  theun- 

j} known  is  over  him,  for,  unless  condiments 
_________________  were  consumed  on  an  immensely  greater 

?  scale  than  at  present,   the  trade  in  them 
Th«  Growth  of  Ir»d«  Depend*  on  the  ncould  not  have  been  large.      To-day  with 

a__«i_    ~*  -D-,-..! .._«    *r_+_t. 

our  vastly  increased  capacity  for  absorb- 
ing luxuries  and  all  the  enlarged  facilities 
-for  obtaining  them  from  all  quarters  of 
the  world,  our  imports  of  spices  constitute 
scarcely  one  thirty- third  of  the  entire 
volume  of  our  import  trade. 


Commerce     Dependent 
Their  Volume. 


Effects  of  Scarcity  in  the  Mid- 
dle Ages. 


The  Demonetization  of  Silver 
to  Produce  Similar 
Eesnlts. 


MMJBBOK    AND    MONEY, 


Supply  of  Precious  Metals. 


8nre 


No  paper  devoted  to  the  mining  in- 
dustry would  be  complete  without  a 
review  of  the  causes  that  have  led  to  the 
discrediting  of  silver. 

From  the  dawn  of  civilisation  gold  and 


The  statistics  ot  toreiga  traae  in  the 
piddle  ages  are  nieager.  Indeed  one 
might  say  there  are  no  statist!  cs  of  an j 
value  for  the  period  anterior  to  1492. 
There  is  a  record  that  the  imports  and 
exports  of  England  in  the  year  1353  aggro- 
gated  £414,000,  or  about  2s.  lOd.  per  capita, 
but  it  seems  to  stand  alone,  and  is  per- 


ued  until  the  opening  of  the  present  cent- 
ury. In  1583  the  total  foreign  trade  of 
England  had  increased  to  £3,980,000,  or 
15  shillings  per  capita,  nearly  six  times 
as  much  per  head  as  during  the  reizn  of 
Edward  III.  In  1820  it  had  increased  to 
£89,000,000,  or  £5  per  capita,  the  increase 
per  head  being 'sixfold. 
Of  course  with  this  tremendous  increase 


haps  untrustworthy.     Our  chief  data,  and  |)J  of  external  trade  there  was  a  correspond- 


that  on  which  historians  seem  to  rely,  IB 
composed  of  fugitive  remark!  from  such 
writers  as  the  court  historian  of  Louis  XI,  ' 
Philip  de  Comines,  whose  pictures  of  the 
opulence  of  his  contemporaries  have  been 
accepted  as  gospel, 

There  was  undoubtedly  trade  with  the 
orient  before  Columbus  sailed  from  Cadiz 
to  find  a  new  route  to  the  Indies,  but  it 
was  small,  insignificant  we  may  say,  by 
comparison  with  that  of  modern  times. 
It  could  scarcely  have  been  otherwise. 
The  lack  ot  money  necessarily  operated  as 
a  barrier  to  exchange  on  a  large  scale. 
Men  were  reduced  to  the  expedient  of 
simple  barter,  and  became  shut  up,  as  it 
were,  in  their  own  homes.  Population 
increased  slowly,  and  the  ravages  of  war 
were  repaired  with  difficulty. 

The  sluggishness  of  commerce  affected 
the  human  mind.  Learning  was  not  ex- 
tinct, but  it  was  confined  to  a  groove. 
Only  the  monks  studied,  and  naturally 
the  fruit  of  their  education  ;was  not  of  the 
kind  calculated  to  nourish  human  inter- 
ests. They  taught  man  to  lean  upon  God 
in  all  things  instead  of  teaching  that  God 
helps  those  who  help  themselves.  The 
rearing  of  a  lofty  cathedral  with  many 
spires  pointing  heavenward  or  the  cre- 
ation of  an  eleemosynary  institution  was 
their  highest  aim,  and  they  succeeded  in 
imbuing  the  most  of  the  world  with  their 
impressions.  The  few  energetic  minds 
that  escaped  the  infection  were  by  no 
means  admired,  and  the  projects  of  their 
possess  ors  were  viewed  askance  by  those 
high  in  authority  as  well  as  the  multi- 
tude. 

With,  the  discovery  of  America  came  a 
great  change.  The  stimulus  to  trade  be- 
gan to  exhibit  itself  early  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  and  the  impetus  given  coutin- 

— '* 

i 


ing  or  even  greater  development  of  the 
home  trade.  Adam  Smith,  the  profound- 
eat  economist  of  his  time,  about  the  pe- 
riod of  the  American  Revolution  dilated 
upon  the  fact  that  the  British  home  trade 
was  not  only  larger,  but  was  infinitely 
more  profitable  than  the  foreign. 

The  expansion  of  trade  after  1492  was 
by  no  means  confined  to  England.  In- 
deed, Spain  enjoyed  the  first  fruits  of  the 
great  influx  of  gold  and  silver,  and  her 
prosperity  continued  uninterrupted,  in 
spite  of  the  costly  wars  waged  by 
Charles  V,  until  the  revolt  of  the  Nether- 
lands, which  was  brought  about  by  the 
religious  zeal  of  Philip  II.  The  Nether- 
lands also  felt  the  stimulus  in  an  extraor- 
dinary manner,  and  for  a  long  time  re- 
mained the  unrivaled  traders  of  the  con- 
tinent. 

If  we  turn  to  our  list  of  prices  we  find 
that  an  ox  which  could  have  been  bought 
for  £1  during  the  fifteenth  cost  twice  as 
much  during  the  sixteenth  and  five  times 
as  much  during  the  seventeenth  century. 
The  price  of  a  ton  of  wheat  had  increased 
eight  fold  between  1492  and  the  opening 
of  the  eighteenth  century. 

That  these  great  changes  were  directly 
due  to  the  plentiful  supply  of  the  pre- 
cious metals  has  never  been  seriously  de- 
nied by  any  competent  authority.  Nor 
has  there  ever  been  a  successful  attempt 
to  show  that  the  increased  price  worked 
an  injury  to  the  consumer.  On  the  con- 
trary, the  evidence  is  overabundant  that 
when  butter  was  worth  a  penny  a  pound 
very  few  pounds  of  it  were  made  and 
eaten,  and  that  when  wheat  was  selling 
at  one- twelfth  its  present  price  the  com- 
mon ran  of  people  were  glad  to  get  bread 
made  of  a  mixture  of  bran  and  pounded 
beans. 

But  the  most  conyincing  testimony  is 
that  furnished  by  the  growth  of  popula- 
tion. That  of  England  had  remained  al- 
most stationary  from  the  date  of  the  Nor- 
man conquest  up  to  the  close  of  the 
fifteenth  century.  The  three  hundred 
years  following  witnessed  a  three-fold  in- 

— — — r 


crease.  From  1066  to  1528  the  addition 
was  only  2,206,000;  from  1528  to  1821  it  was 
7,734,000.  The  population  of  France  in- 
creased  slowly  from  1328  to  1515,  the  in- 
habitants numbering  10,000,000  in  the 
first-named  year  and  14,000,000  in  the  last. 
But  between  1515  and  1821  the  increase 
was  from  14,000.000  to  30,462,000. 

Now,  whatever  we  may  think  of  the 
Malthusian  doctrine,  none  of  us  will  be 
disposed  to  assert  that  population  could 
increase  in  this  rapid  manner  without 
some  impelling  cause.  That  cause  the 
unthinking  might  assume  would  be 
found  in  cheapness,  but  we  hare  seen 
that  with  beef  less  than  a  penny  a  pound, 
wheat  one-tenth  its  present  value,  butter 
a  penny  a  pound,  and  other  things  in  the 
same  ratio,  population  in  England  re- 
mained  nearly  stationary  during  nearly 
five  centuries.  The  failure  to  advance 
cannot  be  explained  on  the  theory  that 
the  English  had  not  developed  mechanical 
ingenuity,  or  that  they  were  deficient  in 
the  trading  instinct,  for  too  many  other 
oeoples  were,  like  them,  equally  lethargic. 
The  few  brilliant  exceptions,  among  them 
the  Geonese,  the  Florentines,  the  Vene- 
tians and  some  of  the  cities  of  Flanders, 
really  emphasize  the  idea,  for  their  trad- 
ing voyages  were,  like  those  of  Jason, 
in  quest  ot  the  "golden  fleece," 
and  when  they  brought  it  home  with 
them  and  put  it  into  circulation  trade  re- 
ceived an  impetus  and  prosperity  endued. 
Indeed  careful  research  on  the  right  lines 
would  probably  develop  the  fact 
that  during  the  middle  ages  thrift 
and  prosperity  were  unknown  ex- 
cept where  money  wag  reasonably 
abundant,  and  we  may  rationally  assume 
that  the  countries  outside  of  Florence  and 
Byzantium,  where  the  florin  and  the 
bezant  circulated  and  were  spoken  of 
with  a  sort  of  awe  because  of  their  scarcity, 
had  very  little  money  of  their  own.  In- 
deed that  admits  of  no  question,  for  the 
meager  chronicles  of  the  time  show  that 
what  little  money  there  was  in  Europe 
had  been  struck  in  some  one  of  the  com- 
mercial cities,  and  that  precious  few  of 
the  coins  ever  reached  the  masses. 

But  when  the  mines  of  America  were 
opened  the  estimated  $167,000,000  of  gold 
and  silver  in  Europe  soon  received 
enormous  additions.  Between  1492  and 
1829,  according  to  Jacob,  the  production 
of  the  world  amounted  to  $7,308,090,000, 
while  Soetbear  estimates  it  at  $9,360,  •> 
000,000,  Between  1830  and  1888  the  latter 
authority  estimates  the  production  at 
$8,370.000,000.  or  a  total  production  of 


$17,730,000,000  from  the  time  of  the 'dis- 
co very  up  to  1888. 

How    much   of    this   vast    production 
found  its  way  into  Europe  and  what  has 
become  of  it  is  a  mere  matter  of  specula- 
tion.   Jacob  estimates  that  between  1492  I 
and  1829    India    and    China   took  over  a 
third  of  the  whole  output,  which  would 
have  left  Europe  about  $5,000,000,000,  or  | 
nearly  thirty  times    as  much  as    she  pos-  ; 
sessed  at   the  close  of   the  fifteenth    cen-  j 
tury.     If   the    absorption    of    the  orient  ' 
since  1829  has  been  as  great  as  that  esti- 
mated by  Jacob  during  the  period  between 
1492  and  1829  Europe  would   have  as  her 
share  of  the  whole  product   over  $12,000,-  j 
000,000.      Of    course   there    is    no     such 
amount  in    existence    now   available  for 
money    purposes.     An   outside  estimate 
would,  perhaps,  be  within  $3,000,000,000. 
The  other  $9,000,000,000   has  gone   where 
the  pins  go,  and  there  is  no  more  possi- 
bility  of  the   sum    being  recovered    for 
money   purposes    than    there  would    be 
to   restore   for  consumption  the  missing 
pins. 

But  the  object  here  is  merely  to   show 
'   that  the  effect  of  the  constantly  increas- 
i  ing  supplies  of  the  preciou?  metals  was  to 
P  enhance  prices,  and   that  their   enhance- 
f]  ment  was  invariably  accompanied    by   an 
expansion  of  commerce  and  all  the  indi- 
I  cations  of  prosperity.     This  can   best  be 
,  done  by  a  condensed  table  showing  the 
effect  of  the  increased  production  of  goid 
t  and  silver  upon  Great  Britain,  until  re- 
cently the  leading  trading  nation  of  the 
world : 


DATE. 


34 
1000 
1700 


td 
B02.g- 


i  x 

;ii? 

3 

88 
547 


cd 

Ell 


67 
174 


This  table  should  prove  conclusively 
that  the  expansion  of  commerce  was  due 
to  the  increased  abundance  of  money,  but 
there  is  even  more  scriking  evidence  at 
hand.  The  abolition  of  the  English  corn 
laws  was  followed  by  a  phenomenal 
growth  of  the  manufacturing  industry  of 
Great  Britain,  and  an  equally  remarkable 
expansion  of  her  foreign  trade.  English 
tree-trade  writers,  ignoring  the  fact  that 
other  nations  during  the  intervening  pe- 
riod have  made  equally  striking  advances, 
have  hastily  assumed  that  British  pros- 
perity since  1846  was  entirely  due  to  the 

I 


!  fiscal  system  advocated  by  Cobden.  But 
it  may  only  be  necessary  in  this  connect 
tion  to  point  out  that  between  1846  and| 
1888  the  world's  stock  of  the  precious  met- 
als was  increased  by  the  enormous  amountj 
of  $7,750,000,000,  or  nearly  half  as  much  as 
the  total  production  of  the  world  oetween 
1492  and  1888. 

We  have  seen  that  during  the  reign  of 
Edward  III,  when  gold  and  silver  were 
extremely  rare,  the  foreign  trade  of  Great 
Britain  amounted  to  only  2  shillings  10 
pence  per  capita.  During  Elizabeth's 
roign,  seventy  or  eighty  years  after  the 
discovery  of  America,  it  had  increased  to 
15  shillings  per  capita.  At  the  opening 
of  the  present  century  it  had  expanded  to 
£6  8  shilling!  per  capita.  From  1800  to 
1846  there  was  a  marked  change.  The 
superficial  frea-trade  observer  has  re- 
marked the  fact  thit  British  trade,  con- 
sidered relatively,  declined  rapidly  be- 
tween 1890  and  1846,  the  per  capita  being 
in  1830  as  low  as  £3  10  shillings,  or  little 
more  than  half  as  much  as  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  period.  He  has  tried  to  ex- 
plain this  by  holding  the  great  Napoleonic 
wars  responsible  for  the  stagnation,  but 
such  an  explanation  will  scarcely  prove 
satisfactory  to  students  of  history,  who 
know  that  the  enormous  expansion  of 
commerce  from  15  shillings  per  capita 
during  Elizabeth's  reign  to  £6  8  shillings 
in  1800  was  effected  in  the  face  of  greater 
discouragements  than  the  Napoleonic 
wars.  During  the  seventeenth  and  eight- 
eenth centuries  England*  was  torn  by  civil 
dissensions  and  was  embarrassed  by 
foreign  wars,  and  the  rest  of  Europe  was 
in  no  better  posture,  but  British  commerce 
steadily  increased. 

Now,  there  must  be  some  explanation 
of  this  extraordinary  fact  which  the  his- 
torian and  political  economist  fails  to  fur- 
nish, but  upon  which  the  tables  of  the 

j  production  of  the  precious  metals  throw 
some  light.  During  the  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries  gold  and  silver  were 
produced  on  a  tremendous,  scale.  Boat- 
beer  estimates  the  output  during  these 
200  years  at  $6,355,000,000.  With  the  open- 
ing of  the  nineteenth  century  the  produc- 
tion began  to  decline.  Between  1801-20 
he  estimates  it  to  have  been  $830,000,000, 
but  in  the  decade  1820-30  it  fell  to  $285,- 
000,000,  and  between  1830  and  1846  it  only 
reached  $620,000,000. 

Now,  it  cannot  be  a  mere  coinoidenca 
that*  British  trade  should  have  steadily 
increased  during  two  pentufies  while  the 
^^put  of  the  precious  metals  was  increas- 
'  o/,  »od  that  it  should  have  steadily  de- 


clined  during  fifty  years  while  the  pro- 
duction was  falling  off,  only  to  immediately 
begin  increasing  again  as  soon  as  the  pro- 
duction of  the  precious  metals  increased. 
But  let  the  table  tell  its  own  story: 


Average  an- 
nual produc- 
tion of  pre- 
cious metals. 


1601- 
701- 

741- 
1781- 
1801- 
1821- 
1831- 
1841- 
1851- 
1861 
1871- 
1881- 


1700 

1740 

1780 

1800 

1820 

1830. 

1840 

1850 

I860..., 

-1870...! 

-1880.  

•1888... 


$25,000,000 
32,000,000  £2 
42 

52,500,000  £6 
41," 
32, 

40,000,000 
72,000,000  £6 


British,  lor- 
siga  trade 
per  inhabit- 
ant   


15  shillings 
to  £2  10s. 
6s. 
8s. 

500,000  £5  to  £3  10s. 
500,01)0  £3  14s. 
£4  4s. 

49. 

180,000,000  £12  17s. 
180,000,000  £17  7s. 
209.500,000  £20  5s. 
188,500.000  £19  10s. 


We  leave  to  the  gold  monometalliat  the 
difficult  task  of  explaining  away  these 
extraordinary  coincidences  and  to  dis-  | 
pute,  it  possible,  the  bimetallic  theory  i 
that  upon  the  broad  foundation  of  an 
abundant  supply  of  the  precious  metals 
rests  the  whole  superstructure  of  modern 
trade.  If  this  foundation  is  undermined 
the  structure  must  necessarily  become 
weakened,  and  if  it  is  too  seriously  asaailed 
the  whole  edifice  must  come  down. 

IL 


THJB    DARK    AGES. 


Due   to   the   Failure    of  the   Supply   of 
Precious  Metals. 


I 


It  has  been  stated  that  Jacob  estimated 
that  the  value  of  the  precious  metals  in 
Europe  at  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  the 
new  world  was  only  $167,000,000.  This 
does  not  mean,  however,  that  the  entire 
amount  represented  coin.  On  the  con- 
trary, the  quantity  of  money  was  ridicu- 
lously small,  and  by  far  the  greater  part 
of  the  $167,000,000  represented  the  treas- 
ures of  kings,  feudal  lords  and  the  , 
churches  in  the  shape  of  ornaments  and 
vessels.  The  question  naturally  arises 
what  became  of  the  vast  treasures  of  the 
Romans,  and  the  query  brings  to  mind 
the  striking  fact,  which  deserves 
great  prominence  in  the  discussion  of  the 
money  question, ., that  the  Roman  em- 
pire enjoyed  its  greatest  degree  of  political 
and  commercial  prosperity— for  the  twc; 
1  are  linked  together— during  the  perj/ 
I  when  Caesar  and^the  other  conque^ 

I 


were  pouring  Into  ±tome  tne  treasures 
of  the  conquered  provinces.  The  chief 
object  of  Roman  conquest  wai  the  ac- 
quisition of  the  precious  metals,  and  the 
great  generals  of  the  empire  were  as  pro- 
ficient in  the  art  of  mining  as  they  were 
in  tactics.  Every  resource  at  their  com- 
mand was  employed  to  coax  gold  and  sil- 
ver from  the  earth,  and  the  value  of  a 
conquest  was  always  measured  by  the 
amount  of  treasure  it  resulted  in  pro- 
ducing. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  during 
the  reign  of  Augustus,  A.  D.  14,  the  Roman 
Empire  possessed  gold  and  silver  to  the 
value  of  nearly  $1,800,000,000,  and  this 
amount  was  steadily  added  to  during  the 
reign  of  the  wiser  Caesars,  who  worked  the 
mines  of  the  empire  indefatigably.  Their 
besotted  and  blood-stained  successors,  no 
doubt,  were  ag  eager  to  obtain  gold  as  the 
Antonines,  but  nnfortunately  most  of 
their  methods  were  destructive  in  their 
results.  Their  senseless  wars  and  contin- 
uous internal  discord  gradual!}'  reduced 
the  supply,  until  finally  toward  the  fall 
of  the  empire  gold  and  silver  became  ex- 
ceedingly scarce.  It  was  the  observation 
of  this  fact  that  led  the  historian  Alison 
to  dispute  Gibbon's  theory  of  the  decline 
of  the  Roman  empire  and  made  him 
unhesitatingly  declare  that  the  paraly- 
ysis  of  commerce  played  a  far  more 
potent  part  than  the  decay  of  the  mili- 
tary spirit. 

It  would  require  too  much  space  to  ar- 
gue these  views  at  length,  but  the  Mod- 
ern who  sees  the  mighty  results  of  the 
extension  of  trade,  whose  operations  are 
not  helped  by  military  movements,  will  b6 
very  apt  to  dissent  from  the  curious  idea 
that  an  empire  can  only  grow  by  warlike 
methods,  and  see  a  more  plausible  solu- 
tion of  the  question  in  the  view  of  the 
historian  who  declares  that  Roman  great- 
ness became  extinguished  because  she 
failed  to  provide  herself  with  the  neces- 
sary medium  for  expanding  her  com- 
merce. 

Whatever  other  causes  may  have  con- 
tributed to  tbe  decadance  of  the  grandeur 
of  Rome  it  must  be  admitted  that  the 
want  of  the  precious  metals  was  the  chief 
one,  for  the  evidence  is  overwhelming  that 
when  the  steady  supply  of  the  precious 
metals  ceas«d  trade  began  to  decline  and 
the  people  of  a  once  civilized  world  re- 
lapsed into  barbarism. 

This  period  is  known  in  history  as  the 
dark  ages,  and  iti  chief  characteristic  ia 


t 


generally  assumed  to  be  the  obscuration 
of  intellect.  But  it  can  hardly  bo  said 
that  there  was  no  intelligence,  when  the 
evidence  is  abundant  that  mental  activity 
was  pronounced,  in  one  direction  at  least. 
Of  religious  discussion  there  WAS  more 
than  enough.  The  fires  of  theology  were 
kept  burning  constantly  and  the  church 
had  heresies  ol  great  magnitude  to  deal 
with.  It  was  during  the  dark  ages  that 
the  magnificent  specimens  of  architecture 
which  the  moderns  admire,  but  do  not 
hope  tD  rival,  were  reared.  Certainly  the 
genius  displayed  in  construction  and  the 
art  with  which  these  constructions  were 
ornamented  do  not  indicate  sluggish 
minds  or  absence  of  energy.  If  they 
have  any  meaning  for  us  it  is  simply  that 
all  man's  intellect  and  energy  were  made 
to  serve  a  single  purpose,  and  that  was  the 
religious  one. 

It  is  part  of  this  discussion  to  determine 
what  causes  brought  about  such  a  result, 
and  what  broke  up  the  habit  of  centuries 
and  made  men  turn  their  thoughts  to 
things  material.  We  all  admit,  in  a  gen- 
eral way,  that  the  effect  of  the  growth  of 
wealth  is  to  turn  the  thoughts  of  a  people 
from  things  spiritual.  The  Attic  philoso- 
phers and  the  historians  of  ancient  Rome 
saw  in  the  increase  of  prosperity  a  menace 
to  the  worship  of  the  gods,  and  formu- 
lated the  concept  that  religion  cannot 
long  survive  the  insidious  attacks  of 
luxury.  May  wff'not  accept  the  converse 
of  this  idea  and  assume  that  with  the  de- 
cline of  wealth  after  the  fall  of  the  Roman 
empire  men's  thoughts  turned  to  God 
and  religion  became  their  only  occupa- 
tion. In  other  words,  they  became  reli- 
gious because  their  minds  were  not  dis- 
tracted by  the  desire  for  gain,  which  is 
infectious  when  trade  is  brisk  and  brings 
prosperity  in  its  train. 

If  this  view  is  correct  then  the  as- 
sumption that  the  stagnation  of  the  mid- 
die  ages  was  due  to  the  lack  of  the 
previous  metals,  an  abundance  of  which 
would  inevitably  have  stimulated -trade, 
cannot  be  successfully  swept  aside.  No 
other  cause  could  account  for  the  phe- 
nomenon. It  will  not  do  to  accept  the 
rash  conclusions  of  some  writers,  who  tell 
us  that  the  chief  obstacles  to  trade  in  the 
middle  ages  were  the  predatory  habits  of 
the  feudal  lords,  for  they  may  be  an- 
swered by  the  assertion  that  the  feudal 
system  was  the  outcome  of  that  isolation 
which  is  the  most  striking  feature  ot  non- 
commercial peoples.  Feudalism  was  DOS- 


sibij  because  there  was  no  extensive 
trado.  It  received  its  first  serious  blow 
from  the  growth  of  the  free  cities,  and  be- 
came extinct  when  the  national  idea  de- 
veloped itself,  chiefly  through  the  neces- 
sity for  intercourse  which  the  growth  of 
the  tree  cities  created. 

Nor  can  it  be  successfully  maintained 
that  the  wars  of  the  middle  ages  .proved 
a  barrier  to  commerce.  The  same  an- 
swer may  be  made  to  this  contention  that 
was  suggested  as  a  reply  to  the  assump- 
tion that  feudalism  operated  to  restrain 
trade,  namely,  that  the  wars  ware  largely 
in  consequence  of  the  absence  of  the  bonds 
of  trade,  which  in  modern  times  have 
been  found  strong  enough  to  avert  many 
wars. 

We  must,  after  thorough  investigation, 
accept  the  conclusion  that  trade  lan- 
guished during  the  middle  ages  for  want 
of  the  money  metals,  and  that  it  only  re- 
vived after  the  discovery  of  America  and 
the  consequent  influx  of  gold  and  silver. 
The  increasing  supply  soon  began  to  exert 
its  revivifying  influence,  and  before 
the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century 
a  revolution  of  the  most  far-reaching 
character  had  occurred.  The  writers  on 
the  Reformation  never  trace  a  connection 
between  the  supply  of  gold  and  silver  and 
the  growth  of  Protestantism,  but  the 
critic  will  soon  discover,  if  ho  seeks  evi- 
dence  on  the  point,  that  the  movement 
could  never  have  succeeded  had  there  not 
been  a  wonderful  development  of  mate- 
rial wealth  concurrent  with  it.  Motley, 
in  his  graphic  description  of  the  struggle 
in  the  Netherlands,  dimly  perceived  the 
'act,  and  presents  many  instances  of  the 
•urious  association  of  religion  and  trade, 
ind  in  one  place  enlarges  on  the  growth 
of  commerce  in  Holland  in  the  midst  of 
the  bitter  struggle  against  Philip  11,  but 
he  gives  the  reader  the  impression  that  it 
was  the  religious  enthusiasm  of  the  Dutch 
that  promoted  trade,  and  not,  as  was  really 
the  case,  the  prosperous  condition  of  trade, 
due  to  the  causes  we  have  indicated, 
that  made  the  Dutchmen  contend  hero- 
ically for  the  right  to  worship  God  as  they 
pleased  and  to  govern  themselves  after 
their  own  fashion. 

If  we  are  convinced  that  the  decadence 
|  of  the  great    Roman    empire   was  almost 
wholly  due  to  the  destruction  of  its  trade 
consequent  upon  the  scarcity  of  its   pre- 
cious metals  what  shall  we  say  of  modern 
statesmen  who,  ignoring  all  the  teachings 
of    history,    deliberately    enter     upon    a 
financial  course  which   if    persevered   in 
must  result  as  disastrously  to  mankind  as 
I 


did  the  involuntary  closing  of  the  mines 
in  the  old  world?    Our  vanity  may  lead 
us  to  imagine  that  our  civilization  Is  too 
broad  to  permit  the  repetition  of  such   a 
catastrophe,  but  we  should  not  allow  our- 
selves to  be  led   astray   by   egotism.     The 
:  ancients  had  attained  a  breadth  of  culture 
1  which  only  the  ignorant  underrate,  and  if 
the  light  of  their  attainments   wai  extln- 
i  guished  ours  may  be  also. 

That  they  are  in  a  fair  way  to  be  may 
I  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  single 
I  gold    standard    idea     contemplates      the 
abandonment  of  the    use  of   silver  as  a 
money  metal.     If  this  criminal  effort  suc- 
ceeds more  than  one- half  of  the  precious 
metals  in  existence  will  lose  their  money 
character,  and    the   future   supply  of  the 
metal  available  for  money   purposes  will 
be  &  constantly  decreasing  quantity. 

If  the  diminution  of  the  average  annual 
output  between  1881  and  1888  of  the  precious 
metals  caused  an  almost  immediate  dimi- 
nution of  British  trade,  what  must  be  the 
inevitable  result  of  wholly  depriving 
more  than  one-half  of  the  supply  of  the 
precious  metals  of  their  money  quality  ? 
If  the  reduction  of  the  output  from  $209,- 
500,000  per  year  to  $188,500,000  made  the 
foreign  trade  of  England  shrink  from 
£20  5s.  per  capita  to  £19  10s.  per  capita, 
what  would  be  the  effect  of  cutting  down 
the  annual  supply  from  $188,500,000  to 
less  than  $90,000,000?.  We  can  only  infer 
from  studying  the  table  printed  abdve, 
which  shows  that  with  an  annual  sup- 
ply of  the  metals  of  $72,000,000  the  per 
capita  trade  of  Great  Britain  was  only 
£6  4s.  to  which  figure  it  would  soon  drop, 
and  perhaps  lower. 

It  must  not  be  lost  sight  of  that  the 
supply  of  gold  is  constantly  decreasing. 
According  to  Soetbeer's  tables  the  average 
annual  production  of  gold  since  1851  has 
baen  as  follows: 

1851-60 $141.000,000 

1861-70 132,000,000 

187 1-80 120,000,000 

1881-8  8 80,000,000 

There  is  not  the  remotest  probability 
that  this  supply  will  be  increased,  On 
the  contrary,  there  is  every  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  it  will  continue  to  shrink  from 
year  to  year  until  it  ceases  to  be  worthy 
the  designation,  and  at  no  very  distant 
day  gold  pieces  may  be  as  hard  to  acquire 
and  their  purchasing  power  prove  as  j 
great  as  during  the  middle  ages,  when  a 
modest  piece  of  the  yellow  metal  would 
buy  a  herd  of  cattle.  When  that  time 
arrives  trade  must  necessarily  be  paralyzed 
and  tbe  civilized  world  may  easily  relapse 


' 


nto  the    condition    from    which    it   was 
nly  awakened  when  gold  and  silver  from 
America  poured  into  Europe. 

III. 


DEMONETIZATION. 


The  Trickery  That  Accompanied  It  and 
Its  .Effects. 


There  is  no  period  in  the  history  of  man 
when  gold  and  silver  were  not  equally  es- 
teemed as  money  on  some  ratio  fixed  by 
convention  or  law.  That  this  ratio  has 
not  varied  greatly  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  in  the  time  of  Darius  (521  B. 
parts  of  silver  were  regarded  as 


If  the  consequences  of  the  demonetizv 
ion  of  silver  are  likely  to  prove  so  appal- 
in?,  why  do  not  men  shrink  from  the 
[anger  and  strive  by  every  means  in  their 
>owerto  avert  it?  The  true  answer  to 
his  would  probably  be  that  people  of  the 
world  are  made  up  of  three  classes.  The 
imallest,  but  most  influential,  acting  on 
he  theory,  "After  me  the  delude";  a  sec- 
ond class  whosa  chief  characteristic  is  ig- 
norance, who  side  with  the  wreckers  of 
jociety  because  they  are  misled  by  the  or- 
gans of  the  influential  classes,  and  a  third 
whose  zeal  and  numbers  are  scarcely  a 
match  for  the  cunning  of  the  class  who 
devised  the  scheme  of  demonetizition  and 
have  pushed  it  to  the  verge  of  success. 

There  are  some  advocates  of  gold  mono- 
netallism  who  uablushingly    declare  that 
they    favor    a    single    standard     because 
gold    is    the    only      metal     having     in- 
variability of  value  and   who  attempt  to  l 
excuse  their  position  by  asserting  that  the  , 
production  of  silver  had  begun  to  increase 
on  such  a  scale  as   to  threaten   to   render  ; 
the    metal  valueless.      Monometaliists  of 
this  class  are  as  dishonest  as  the    dollar 
they  advocate,  which  has  not  an  invari- 
able but  has  a  decidedly  and  constantly 
increasing  value. 

There  is  another  class  ol  monometallists 
who  say  that  bimetallism  is  an  impossi- 
bility and  that  the  ratio  of  the  two  metals 
cannot  be  determined  by  law.  It  is  to 
this  latter  class  that  attention  will  first 
be  directed,  as  by  exhibiting  the  absurd- 
ity of  their  contention  abundant  evidence 


equal  to  one  of  gold,  and  were  so  declared 
by  law.  Twenty-four  centuries  later  the 
proportion  was  15}£  to  1.  No  doubt  dur- 
ing the  intervening  period  there  were  se- 
rious fluctuations.  What  caused  them,  or 
whether  any  serious  attempt  was  ever 
made  by  the  Romans  to  preserve  an  equi- 
librium is  debatable.  One  thing,  however, 
is  certain.  There  is  no  record  of  any  civ- 
ilized people  since  the  Christian  era  seri- 
ously proposing  to  discontinue  the  use  of 
silver  as  money. 

The  first  essays  in  the  direction  of 
monometallism  were  made  by  the  Eng- 
lish, and  had  for  their  object  the  enhance- 
ment of  the  value  of  the  enormous  out- 
standing credits  of  that  nation.  J.  Thorold 
Rogers,  whose  authority  is  rarely  ques- 
tioned on  such  subjects,  declares  that  in 
stock  exchange  securities  at  least 
$10,000,000,000  are  known  or  ticketed  as 
English  property.  But  he  adds,  '  'This  by 
no  means  exhausts  the  debts  owed  to  peo- 
ple who  live  or  accumulate  in  the  "United 
Kingdom.  English  capital  has  gone  over 
the  whole  world.  English  houses  of  busi- 
ness are  settled  in  most  countries,  and  the 
profits  due  from  them  are  p  irt  ot  the  in- 
debtedness which  has  to  be  annually 
paid."  And  then  he  proceeds  to  remark 
for  the  benefit  of  his  English  readers: 
"You  will  see,  then,  that  every  year  a 
vast  amount  of  cash  or  property  has  to  be 
imported  into  England  to  pay  the  annual 
charge  of  the  foreign  debt  held  here." 

Perceiving  this  so  clearly  is  it  remark- 
able that  the  exponent  of  the  interests  of 
the  English  creditor  cinss  should  hesitate  ' 
to  give  his  adhesion  to  a  money  policy  the 
inevitable  effects  of  which  must  be  to 
enormously  enhance  the  value  of  English 
credits?  Nor  is  it  remarkable  that  the 
prospect  of  the  immediate  gain  should 
have  blinded  him  and  made  him  in- 
capable of  perceiving  the  future  conse- 


will  be  incidentally  adduced  to  ;j  quences  of  a  fiscal  policy  closely  analogous 
sufficiently  disprove  the  assumption  that  to  that  of  killing  the  goose  that  lays  the 
gold  has  a  fixed  value  and  to  dispose  of  golden  egg. 

Assuming  the  correctness  of  Roger's  cal- 
culation that  the  income  derived  by  the 
British  holders  of  foreign  securities  and 
debts  is  $500,000,000  annually,  we  can 

•-     r^ 


to 

the     barefaced     falsehood    that    the    in 
creased  production  of   silver  had   caused 
uneasiness  and  led  to  demonetization. 
Bimetallism  is  as  ancient  as  civilization. 


' 


I 


/p/rm  some  idea  of  the  tremendous  tempo- 
'  ary  advantage  Great  Britain,  derives 
from  the  discrediting  of  silver.  The  ef- 
fect of  diminishing  the  volume  of  metal- 
lic money  being  to  reduce  prices,  the 
English  creditors  have  the  purchasing 
power  of  their  income  augmented  by  an 
amount  equal  to  that  of  the  decline  in 
the  value  of  commodities.  As  this  de- 
cline since  demonetization  by  th~e  United 
States  in  1873  has  been  estimated  to  be 
nearly  40  per  cent,  the  English  creditors 
may  be  said  to  be  benefiting  to  the 
amount  of  at  least  $200,000,000  a  year  by 
the  operation. 

But  while  the  creditors  are  increasing 
their  wealth  by  the  easy  process  of  en- 
hancing the  value  of  their  credits  by  in- 
ducing the  men  who  make  our  laws  to 
limit  the  legal  tender  quality  to  gold, 
which  is  constantly  growing  scarcer,  the 
producer  and  the  debtor— nearly  synony- 
mous terms  in  modern  times — are  slowly 
being  driven  to  the  wall.  The  producer 
suffers  directly,  because  he  is  aim  st  in- 
variably a  debtor.  As-  the  prices  of  his 
products  decline  the  work  of  meeting  his 
obligations  becomes  more  and  more 
onerous,  until  finally  he  collapses.  While 
he  is  being  dragged  down,  if  he  is  an  em- 
ployer, he  drags  down  with  him  all  his 
workingmen.  If  any  one  has  any  doubt 
of  this  he  has  but  to  observe  the  course  of  : 
trade  in  England  since  1883.  The  whole 
period  has  been  one  of  depression  and 
hardship  for  the  toiler,  and  the  aver- 
age of  profits  has  not  been  so  low  for  a 
century. 

It  will  not  do  to  assert  that  the  working- 
man  shares  in  the  cheapness,  for  the  facts 
are  all  against  such  an  assumption.  In 
the  first  place  the  nominal  wages  of  labor 
have  not  remained  stationary  but  have  de- 
clined, and  continue  to  decline.  But  far 
more  important  is  the  fact  that  owing  to 
the  paralysis  of  trade  millions  of  men 
throughout  the  civilized  world  are  out  or 
employment  and  are  unable  to  obtain  the 
money  to  buy  the  necessaries  of  life. 
What  advantage  does  cheapness  have 
for  the  million  people  in  London  that 
English  statisticians  tell  us  are  hovering 
on  the  edge  of  starvation.  If  beef  is  a 
penny  a  pound  and  the  miserable  toiler 
is  penniless,  he  must  starve  unless  relieved 
by  charity. 

The  gospel  of  cheapness  is  only  preached 
and  honestly  believed  in  by  those  who  are 
assured  of  a  fixed  income.  They  h.ive 
reason  to  approve  it,  for  it  means  that  the 
dollars  they  are  sure  of  receiving  will  pur- 
chase more  when  things  are  cheap  than 
when  they  are  dear.  Political  economists 
of  the  free- trade  school,  whose  chief  stock 
in  trade  is  abstractions,  although  they  en- 
deavor to  demonstrate  that  cheapness  is 
equally  beneficial  to  the  whole  of  man-  I 


Kiua,  one  ana  ail  admit  that  the  surest 
sign  of  prosperity  is  a  rising  market,  and 
that  the  index  finger  which  points  to  de- 
pression is  low  prices  or  cheapness.  John 
Stuart  Mill  has  noted  this,  and  so  has 
every  author  entitled  to  consideration. 
Men  so  inconsistent  can  hardly  be  looked 
up  to  as  leaders  of  opinion. 

But  oven  though  free  traders  fail  to 
admit  the  fact  that  prosparity  and  high 
prices  are  synonymous,  and  that  cheap- 
ness and  depression  are  as  securely  linked 
as  the  criminal  with  a  chain  and  ball 
attachment,  commercial  history  affords 
abundant  evidence  that  such  is  the  case. 
Why,  then,  should  lawmakers  defy  rea- 
son and  adopt  a  policy  which  has  for  its 
deliberate  purpose  the  cheapening  of  all 
commodities?  If  low  prices  must  bring 
depression  and  misery  in  their  train  why 
force  on  the  world  a  monetary  system 
which,  if  persevered  in,  must  end  in  a 
condition  of  affairs  similar  to  that  which 
existed  in  the  old  world  before  the  dis- 
covery of  America? 

That  the  object  of  the  gold  monometal- 
hsts  is  to  make  money  dear  and  all  com- 
modities cheap  is  indisputable.  No  scien- 
tific explanations  or  specious  assumptions 
can  disguise  this  object.  Demonetization 
of  silver  was  not  resorted  to  because  over- 
production of  the  white  metal  had  dis- 
turbed the  ratio.  That  is  a  falsehood 
which  can  be  disposed  of  by  a  table  which 
shows  that  when  Germany  demonetized 
silver  it  was  at  a  premium  over  gold  on 
t&e  established  ratio  of  15>£  to  1  (that  of 
the  Latin  union),  and  that  when  the 
United  States,  two  years  later,  at  the  in- 
stigation of  Englishmen,  imitated  Ger- 
many, silver  was  at  a  premium  over  gold 
in  this  country. 

VALUE    OF    AN    OUNCE    OF    1000    FINS    SILVER. 


Calenda 
year. 

r   Average 
quotation. 

Calendar 
year. 

Average 
quotation. 

1833  .. 
1834. 
1835  . 
1836  . 
1837. 
1838  . 
1839  . 
1840  . 
1841. 
1842. 
1843  . 
1844  '. 
1845. 
1846  . 
1847  . 
1848  . 
1849. 
1850  . 
1851  . 
1852  . 
1853  . 
1854=. 
1855  . 
1856  . 
1857. 
1858. 
1859. 
1860  .. 

$1.297 
1.313 
1.308 
1.315 
1.305 
1.304 
1.323 
1.323 
1.316 
1.308 
1.297 
1.304 
1.298 
1.30 
1.308 
1.304 
1309 
1.316 
1.337 
1.326 
1.348 
1.348 
1.344 
1.344 
1.353 
1.344 
1.36 
1.352 

1861 

$1.333 
1.346 
1.345 
1.345 
1.338 
1.339 
1.328 
1.326 
1.325 
1.328 
1.326 
1.322 
1.298 
1.278 
1.246 
1.156 
1.201 
1.152 
1.123 
1.145 
1.138 
1.136 
1.11 
1.113 
1.0645 
0.9946 
0.97823 
0.93987 

1862  ... 

1863   .... 

1864 

1865  

1866  

1867   .  .. 

1868  
1869  

1870  

1871 

1872 

1873  

1874   .... 

1875  
1876 

1877  
1878   .... 

1879..  
1880  

1881  

1882 

1883  
1884  

1885  

1886  

1887 

1888  

It  will  be  noted  from  the  above  taoie, 
which,  by  the  way,  was  published  on  the  . 
authority  of  the  Director  of  the  Mint, 
that  the  value  of  aa  ou  nee  of  1000  fine 
silver  was  $1.322  in  1872,  not  three  months 
prior  to  demonetization  by  the  United 
States.  On  the  ratio  of  15.993  to  1— that 
fixed  by  our  law — silver  was  therefore  at  a 
premium  of  over  3  cents  an  ounce,  the 
value  of  an  ounce  of  1000  fine  silver  at  our 
ratio  baing  $1  29. 

How  in  the  face  of  such  evidence  can  , 
there  be  any  pretense  that  the  object  of 
demonetization  was  to  prevent  the  imagi- 
nary ills  that  might  flow  from  the  over- 
production of  silver?  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
no  such  pretense  was  made  at  the  time. 
Indeed,  no  pretenses  were  made  at  all. 
The  job  was  done  by  stealth,  those  ac- 
complishing it  working  like  sneak -thieves, 
making  believe,  while  they  were  con- 
summating an  infamy,  that  they  were 
only  effecting  some  trifling  changes  in 
the  laws  governing  the  Mint. 

It  is  not  a  profitable  task,  however,  to 
discuss  this  phase  of  the  question.  It 
only  shows  up  in  an  unenviable  light  the 
fact  that  Americans  were  overreached  by 
such  counselors  as  the  English  banker, 
Ernest  Beyd,  who  furnished  the  brains  for 
the  men  who  fram  ed  the  law  to  strike 
down  silver. 

The  law  demon  etizing  silver  had 
scarcely  been  made  public  when  its  effects 
began  to  be  perceived.  Silver  which  was 
quoted  at  $1.322  an  ounce  at  the  close  ol 
1872  fell  to  $1.293  an  ounce  in  1873.  From 
then  on  it  decli  ned  until  it  reached  84 
cents  an  ounce  in  1891,  the  quotation 
fluctuating  about  this  figure  at  present. 

Nobody  heard  of  the  dishonest  silver 
dollar  until  the  dishonest  gold  mono- 
metallists,  by  demonetizing  silver,  caused 
its  price  to  drop.  Bat  when  in  1876  tue 
agitation  for  remonetization  commenced, 
the  fall  of  prices  sharply  calling  attention 
to  the  job  and  its  consequences,  then  the 
gold  monometallists  hypocritically  called 
attention  to  the  fact  that  the  advocates  of 
bimetallism  desired  -to  declare  bylaw  that 
the  value  of  an  ounce  of  silver  was  $L  29, 
when  the  market  quotations  actually 
showed  that  it  was  only  worth  $1  15 
an  ounce. 

These  dishonest  critics  ignored  the 
fact  that  silver,  like  gold,  derives  its  chief 
value  from  its  use  as  money.  Had  the 
United  States  in  1873  del  iberately  enacted 
a  law  declaring  silver  the  only  legal  ten- 


der • 

epreciate  the  value  of  gold  as  compared 
with  silver,  and  if  the  whole  world  at  the 
ame  time  had  entered  into  an  agreement 
o  use  only  silver,  an  ounce  of  gold  would 
peedily  have  purchased  less  products 
ihan  an  ounce  of  the  white  metal. 

No  sensible  man  will  attempt  to  dis- 
>ute  the  proposition  that  the  value  of  the 
wo  precious  metals  is  determined  by 
heir  use  as  money.  We  make  this  asser- 
;ion  with  the  full  knowledge  that  Edward 
Atkinson  has  placed  himself  on  record  as 
holding  the  theory  that  gold  has  a  fixed 
value,  but  such  a  theory  is  too  ridiculous 
;o  receive  a  moment' s  respectful  considera- 
ion.  No  thing  can  have  value  in  itself, 
ts  value  can  only  ba  determined  by 
measuring  it  against  something  else. 
Stanley  Jevonsin  his  ''Theory  of  Political 
Economy"  has  given  a  concise  definition 
of  value,  which  shows  how  ludicrous  is 
the  view  of  Atkinson.  He  says ; 

Value  in  exchange  expresses  nothing  but  a 
ratio,  and  the  term  should  not  be  used  iii  any 
other  sense.  To  speak  simply  of  the  value  of 
au  ounce  of  gold  is  as  absurd  as  to  sp?ak  of 
a  ratio  of  the  number  seventeen?  What  Is 
the  ratio  of  the  number  seventeen?  The  ques- 
tion adinita  of  no  answer,  for  there  must  be 
another  number  named  in  order  to  make  a 
ratio,  and  the  ratio  will  differ  according  to  the 
number  suggested.  What  is  the  valus  of  iron 
compared  with  that  of  gold  is  an  intalligible 
question.  The  answer  consists  in  stating  the 
ratio  of  the  quantities  exchanged. 

Here  then  is  indicated  the  only  mode  of 
ascertaining  the  value  of  gold.  How 
much  of  iron,  steel,  cotton  or  any  other 
commodity  will  it  purchase?  If  it  will 
purchase  twice  as  much  to-day  of  nearly 
every  conceivable  article,  then  obviously 
its  value  has  increased,  and  has  not  re- 
mained stationary  or  fixed.  Let  us  take 
some  figures  from  the  latest  abstract  of 
the  United  States  Bureau  of  Statistics  and 
see  whether  gold  has  fixity  of  value. 

In  1872  pig  iron  waa  worth  $18  a  ton;  in 
1891  it  was  quoted  at  $17  52.  I.n  1872  bar 
iron  rolled  was  sold  at  $97  63:  in  1891  it 
could  be  had  for  $42  56.  Steel  rails,  which 
were  sold  for  $85  a  ton  in  1872,  are  now  a 
drug  at' $30.  Cut  nails  were  $5  46  a  keg  in 
1872;  in  1891  their  price  was  $1  86.  Bitu- 
minous coal  which  cost  $4  84  a  ton  in  1872 
was  $2  60  in  1891.  Wheat,  which  was  $1  47 
a  bushel  in  1872,  tumbled  to  83  cents  in 

1890.     Sole    leather   made  a  tumble  from 
25  cents  to  16  cents  a  pound ;  eggs  from  26 


to  17  cents  a  dozen,  and  so  on  through  the 
whole  long  list  of  productions. 

Who  will  have  the  temerity  in  the  face 
of  such  evidence  to  repeat  the  foolish  as- 
sertion that  gold  has  a  fixed  value  or  that 
a  gold  dollar  is  always  worth  th*  same? 
As  well  might  the  claim  be  made  that  the 
burglar's  jimmy  with  which  he  pries 
open  the  door  of  the  house  he  is  going  to 
rob  is  an  honest  instrument,  as  to  insist 
that  a  gold  dollar,  which  will  now  buy  45 
per  cent  more  of  almost  every  commodity 
than  in  1872,  is  an  honest  dollar. 

The  only  honest  dollar  is  the  one  which 
will  purchase  as  much  of  an  average  num- 
ber of  commodities  at  one  time  as  another. 
Statistics  show  that  the  silver  dollar,  or 
rather  silver  bullion,  comes  nearer  pos- 
sessing this  quality  than  any  other  dollar 
or  metal.  In  support  of  this  statement 
we  submit  testimony  from  the  columns 
of  an  extreme  gold  monometallic  paper, 
the  New  York  Tribune,  and  R.  G.  Dun't 
Commercial  Agency  report,  which  sub- 
stantially agrees  with  it.  On  April  ll'th. 
the  Tribune  said : 

Much  current  complaint  Is  doubtless  due  to 
the  fact  that  prices  are  low,  the  range  of  200 
commodities  being  about  18  per  cent  lower 
than  a  year  ago. 

In  April,  1891,  an  ounce  ot  fine  silver 
was  quoted  at  about  15  per  cent  highei 
than  in  April,  1892.  We  seriously  nsk 
which  is  the  dishonest  dollar,  and 
whether  a  gold  dollar  that  will  buy  13  pei 
cent  more  in  1892  than  in  1891  is  desenr 
ing  the  appellation?  If  the  gold  dollar  i; 
honest,  then  black  is  white. 

But  the  gold  standard  is  not  an  honest 
standard,  and  it  would  require  a  violenl 
stretch  of  the  imagination  to  conceive  iti 
chief  supporters  as  really  desirous  of  an 
honest  money.  They  don't  want  any- 
thing of  the  kind.  What  they  want  is  a 
money  which  will  constantly  appreciate 
in  value,  so  that  their  credits  will  be  en- 
hancing while  they  sleep.  Their  purpose 
is  precisely  that  indicated  by  J.  Therold 
Rogers,  only1  they  don't  put  the  thing  oni 
national  grounds.  The  only  nation  01 
religion  they  know  is  to  increase  theii 
riches,  and  what  better  means  could  be 
taken  to  accomplish  such  an  object  than 
to  have  a  money  whose  purchasing  powei 
goes  on  increasing  from  day  to  day. 

Take  the  concrete  case  of  the  creditoi 
who  in  1872  loaned  the  farmer  $5000  with 
which  to  improve  nis  property,  if  th 
agreed  rate  of  interest  was  6  per  cent  and 
money  values  had  remained  steady,  th« 
farmer  during  the  interval  would  ha 
been  able  to  pay  his  interest  every  yea 
by  selling  204  bushels  of  wheat,  the  pro- 


ceeds of  which  at  $1 47  a  bushel  would 
have  realized  $300.  Finally  when  it  came 
to  lift  ing  the  indebtedness  he  could  do  so 
with  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  8400 
bushels  of  wheat.  But  the  "honest" 
gold  dollar  being  the  only  legal  tender 
see  how  the  farmer  is  aflected.  Wheat 
drops  to  90  cents  a  bushel,  and  to  raise 
the  $300  to  pay  his  interest  account  he  has 
to  sell  333  bushels  instead  of  204,  and 
finally,  if  in  spite  of  adverse  circum- 
stances he  is  able  to  settle,  he  must  sell 
5555  bushels  of  wheat  instead  of  3400. 
Usually  he  is  not  able  to  do  so,  and  the 
money-lender  forecloses  and  takes  hit 
farm. 

This  is  no  fancy  picture,  as  the  record! 
of  the  great  farming  regions  of  the 
United  States  will  show.  The  free  traders 
have  raised  a  hullabaloo  About  the  matter ' 
and  charged  protection  with  causing  the 
trouble.  But,  unfortunately,  for  their 
contention  the  the  farmers  of  the  United 
States  could  pay  their  debts  when  prices 
wera  high,  as  they  were  in  1872,  but  can- 
not in  1892,  when  they  are  low.  Not  only 
has  the  American  farmer  felt  the  pinch  of 
the  decline.  The  trouble  has  been  uni- 
versal. In  England  it  has  caused  the 
'value  of  agricultural  land  to  depreciate 
fully  25  per  cent,  and  even  with  the  corre- 
sponding fall  in  rentals  the  British  agri- 
culturalist finds  it  impossible  to  make  a 
living,  and  is  obliged  to  send  his  laborer! 
adrift,  and  the  poor  devils  emigrate,  go  to 
the  poorhouse  or  starve  to  death. 

The  trouble  is  not  due  to  protection  and 
high  prices.  Low  prices  are  responsible 
for  it  all,  and  the  depression  must  continue 
to  increase  in  intensity  unless  the  remedy 
of  resumption  of  bimetallism  is  applied. 

IV. 


MUST     BE     RfiMKDIED. 


Gold  Appreciation  Must  Stop  or   There 
Will  Be    Trouble. 


Can  the  old  order  of  things  be  restored 
with  safety?  is  a  question  frequently 
asked,  and  the  inquiry  is  frequently 
coupied  with  ano  ther,  Would  it  he  fair  to 
resort  to  bimetallism  if  the  effect  of  it 
would  be  to  impa  ir  the  value  of  existing 
credits  ?  Such  inquirers  have  nothing  else 
in  mind  than  the  welfare  of  the  owner  of 


depressed; 

re- 


nerative  wages  or  are  starving      They       _____ 

't  eive  themselves  any  concern  whether  '     bundred8  of  millions  have  -------  , 

producing  classes   are   making  a  fair  but  there  remain  la  the  b.        •  | 

or  whether   their  productions  are  treasures  awaiting  the  t, 

turned  out  at  a  loss.    All  they  cry  out  for  *  «J  ^  ^   hands  of  8ClonCe( 

is  cheapness  so  that  their   incomes     aay  o;;  ™  throw  lnto  the  shade  all 


who  make  our  laws  is  to  give  us  a  m 
which  will  insure  that  the  debtor  t 
called  to  pay   more  than  he  agreec 
which  will  guarantee  to  the  creditor  * 
covenanted  for. 


u.  . 


nd  that  bimetalUsm  alone  can 
easonably  fair  money- 
n  the  case  of  deferred  payments  wil  not 
p"ace  the  debtor  at  an    absolute,  disad- 

money  conference  which  i.  to  be 
"      days  will,  if  the  men  who 


,sl 
to 


tSf^^att^8haU>| 

te  n  slccessfully  made,  as  It  is  destmed 
ere  will  be  such  an  outpouring  o 
from  the  mountains  of  the  wes 
this  continent  as  will  surpass 
et  seen  in  the  history  of  I 

«DMJ   w  — cr-       «r 

precious  metals. 

A_s  the  world  groWf  older 
for  gold  and  silver  as  measures  of  rat 

ot  ornamentation 


;      The  members  may  urge 


"presented"that         decline  ia,j  si  Aep-o; 


the  process  by  legislation  dn  3uiMO}SSq  3JOJ9q  ;jod 


as  that 
eighteenth  century 


U.U.  BtHMlLtT 

Him 

C021D73MSb 


